Uta no Senshi Maji Love 1000
by Just2Protect
Summary: Reasons inside first chapter. Haruka only wanted to compose music. But being selected as a Home-Maker could very well make that dream stay a dream. But when members of her military Unit show an avid interest in singing, this might just be her chance. But what is she to do when the first and second-in-command, who's orders take priority over the others, say a firm no?
1. Chapter 1

Justie: Hello everyone. I'm called Just2Protect, but you all can call me Justie, if you like. So I recently began to watch Uta No Prince-Sama Maji Love 1000% and in all honesty, I liked it so much that it inspired me to write a book. But I'm having some troubles with my confidence as a writer. I'm still only a young woman and haven't had much experience in the world.

So I decided to take what inspired me and what it inspired me to write, and make them into one story to see how you all like the idea of the story. If its well perceived, I might just send it in for publishing. If it's not, then I know not to waste any more time and move on to another project.

Please leave a review with your thoughts or anything that came up at all as you read. So, without further ado, I give you this story!

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Its funny how life can seem close to perfect for a split second before its all wrenched away from you. We all know that moment. And so many of us can pick up whatever pieces are left and make it better than before, while others end up on their knees, sobbing and begging for the way their life used to be to return.

The moment my life was wrenched from me was when the black, armored car rolled to a stop in front of me. The windows were tinted so I couldn't see inside. I felt my shoulders drop as a man in a black suit with dark sunglasses and a shaved head stepped out of the car and opened the back door facing me. Inside was a man with somewhat spikey orange hair and bright blue eyes, dressed in a matching black suit.

"Nanami Haruka?" the first man asked. There was no point of hiding it, so I nodded and approached the car.

"I'm Nanami Haruka," I said softly. The man nodded to the man inside the car. I noticed he had a small, silver briefcase at his feet.

"Congratulations Nanami Haruka, you've been selected to become the temporary Home-Maker to Specialty Unit 6. Do you understand what this entails?" the first man asked. I nodded again.

"This means that until a selected time, I will be charged with the responsibility of laundering their clothes, feeding their dogs, cooking their meals and cleaning their living space, correct sir?" I asked. The man inside the car nodded.

"Now, Nanami-san, if you'll just get in the car, then we can be on our way." I slipped into the car and the first man shut it securely behind me, the tinted windows reducing the buildings outside to unrecognizable dark blurs of various shapes. I felt the car lurch as we began to move.

The man beside me reached over and clicked my seatbelt into place before reaching to the briefcase at his feet and opening it.

"Can I see your left wrist please?" he asked, holding his hand out for mine. I gave it to him without a fight, there was no way to escape that bracelet getting onto my wrist, so there was no reason to hurt myself trying to stay away from the bracelet. The man's hands were rough, probably from years of military work, but they were gentle, large and warm.

The gold band slipped over my hand and the charm clicked as it settled under my hand. The charm didn't look like anything special, just a golden rectangle with a 6 engraved on both sides, but inside that charm was a tracer so my every movement could be observed by the military if the need arose for it.

I pulled my hand away and stared out the window at the colorless forms of buildings, trees and people through the darkened glass. I could almost make out my own reflection in the glass; my amber-gold-brown eyes and the strawberry-blonde hair that hung to my jaw, all framed with pale white skin. I reached up and brushed the fingers of my left hand over the reflection.

My heart felt like a lump of lead in my chest at the sight of the gold bracelet in the reflection, signifying my place to the world, my place as a Home-Maker to the military. The military basically controlled your life, even if they didn't have control over every aspect, they had control over how you lived. At twelve, boys were taken from their families and taken to the Academy in the Capital, where they trained until they were 17 for military services. At 17, boys would either be selected for military duty, or turned away. If a boy wasn't chosen, as my father and grandfather hadn't been, they had all the skills needed to build their own lives and get their own jobs, even marry and settle down. But if a boy was selected, he was put into a Unit with five other boys and they trained together as a team, receiving ranks based upon their strengths and weaknesses as a team, establishing an almost pack-like hierarchy. Each Unit was given a girl called a Home-Maker who basically became the wife to all the boys in the Unit.

A Home-Maker could be anyone; from the daughter from a one-night-stand to the daughter of a Five-Star General and it wouldn't make a difference. The second the bracelet was on her wrist, her life revolved around the males in her Unit. Her world became what they allowed, meaning whatever dreams she'd had before were in reach so long as her Unit allowed it. And disobedience was not tolerated. If a Unit was killed in combat, their Home-Maker would be reassigned. If she had children, she'd be allowed to live in her home and raise her children in peace.

But I had a Specialty Unit. I had no idea what that meant. Would they be deployed more often than other boys? Would they have fewer deployments or shorter ones? What did they specialize in, anyway? Would they allow me to follow my dreams and become a composer?

Ever since I was small, I'd been in love with music. My Gran had loved to play piano alongside me, listen to her old records, and just listen to the radio. When I was almost ten, I heard one certain song come on over the radio that sparked something inside me and as if a dam inside me had been broken, music seemed to consume me. I preferred to play the piano as opposed to run around with the girls from my school, I preferred to just listen to the music and perform for Gran as opposed to looking through the returning boys from the Academy and throw myself at them.

I realized with a start that the men in this car wasn't going to let me say good-bye to Gran. I turned to the man beside me and he raised an eyebrow at me. I saw the pin on his lapel displaying the Twin Stars, meaning he was a Second-Class General. He had a Home-Maker as well. He wouldn't understand, likely.

"What is it?" he asked. I shook my head and turned my back to him, pulling my knees up to my chest. I bit my lip to keep from crying. I was _not_ going to let these people see me cry for any reason.

Gran had been the only family I'd known for most of my life. When I was two, my father and grandfather had died in a construction accident. My mother couldn't bear the idea of living without my father and died when I was three. Gran took me in after that, soothing every fever, putting up with every tantrum, sitting through hours upon hours of homework from school, teaching me to play piano and love music. And they weren't going to let me say good-bye. I highly doubted they'd even leave a notice on the front step.

I was so swept up in my thoughts, I almost didn't notice when the car came to a stop. I backed away from the door as it was opened for me, revealing the lower part of someone wearing a yellow sweater, jeans and kitten heels. I could also see the ends of strawberry-blonde hair hanging at the hips of the person and a brown purse off the shoulder. I moved out of the car and looked up into a pair of bright blue eyes as the person, a woman it seemed, signed off on a clipboard of papers, likely my transportation papers that verified I'd arrived and was now under this woman's care.

She smiled at me and extended a hand to me.

"Nanami Haruka, correct?" I nodded, and shook the hand offered to me. "I'm Tsukimiya Ringo, but you and the other girls can call me Ringo-sensei. Nice to meet you." I smiled.

"You as well," I said softly. Ringo-sensei dug around in her bag a little.

"You're one of the first ones here," she said as she pulled out a piece of folded-up wax paper and handed it to me. "You're going to be put into a pair with Shibuya Tomochika over there." Ringo-sensei pointed at a red-haired girl dressed in a purple top and deep-blue skinny jeans. "Now, you two just need to show your bracelets to the cashiers in the stores and your bill will be covered, alright?"

"What exactly are we doing?" I asked.

"You're shopping for new clothes, Haruka-chan. You'll also need to get a nice formal outfit together this afternoon before you go meet your Unit." I nodded and headed over to Shibuya Tomochika. The girl looked me over with a pair of beautiful violet eyes, smiled and extended her hand.

"Hi, I'm Shibuya Tomochika," she said. I took her hand and she shook our hands so hard I was almost knocked off balance.

"I'm Nanami Haruka, I hope we get along well today, Shibuya-san," I offered. She gave me a look as if she were asking "What's wrong with you?"

"You can call me Tomo-chan, alright? And in return, can I all you Haruka?" I nodded and Tomo-chan took hold of my right wrist and lead me inside a massive grey building with some walls being made out of glass. She pulled me into the first store we saw and we began looking through the tops. "Honestly, even when he was standing right in front of me, I couldn't tell Ringo-sensei was really a man, how about you?" I jumped at that.

"Ringo-sensei is a guy?!" I half-asked, half-screamed. Tomo-chan looked at me as if I had grown a second head.

"You didn't know? Don't you have a television?"

"We had a television set, but no service. So my Gran and I watched tapes of old soap operas and stuff like that, or played piano or listened to the radio," I explained. Tomo-chan nodded.

"So you have any music artists you like?" she asked.

"Um...Well...I like listening to music by HAYATO..." Tomo-chan gave me that wide-eyed look again.

"HAYATO? As in the guy who got busted for a half kilo of coke in his pocket last week?" I raised an eyebrow.

"I never heard he had drug problems," I said as I selected a pretty pink blouse.

"He doesn't just have drug issues. He's also got some drinking problems and when his girlfriend, Sirena, made her cancer public, he'd beat on her while he was high or drunk. She started posting pictures of high places. The last picture she posted was of the concrete under her tenth story balcony with a caption that read 'I wonder how much it would hurt...' and no one has seen her since. She's posted nothing, hasn't been seen by the media or the public in almost a year." I bit my lip a little.

"My Gran would change the station if the news came on. She and I hated that kind of stuff..." I said. Tomo-chan nodded.

"It all is rather depressing," she admitted as she picked up a shirt and smiled. "But no more of this depressing talk! We've got an entire mall to crawl through before we go get our dresses for this evening! So let's move it!" I chuckled and we began moving faster through the stores, picking up different clothes, jewelry, shoes and accessories.

Every few stores, one of our drivers would appear to take our bags to the car and eventually, Tomo-chan and I went to the food court to get some lunch. We kept chatting about random things that came to our minds, even what we could've become if we weren't Home-Makers. Tomo-chan admitted she wanted to become an idol, maybe more focused on acting as opposed to singing. I gave her hand a gentle squeeze before she shrugged.

"Well, this is our lot in life. The best thing we can do is grin and work with it to get what we want." I couldn't help but smile at her determination.

Suddenly, something cold hit the back of my head and something warm hit the back of my neck. I jumped up in an instant and snapped around. Tomo-chan jumped to her feet and grabbed a bunch of napkins from the dispenser as she tried to clean nacho cheese and meat bits off my back and the chocolate shake out of my hair.

"So sorry!" called a girl as she ran up towards us. She had black hair cut pixie-style and bright brown eyes and was dressed in a tan dress with a brown belt around her waist. Her legs were decked with black tights and brown ankle-boots. "So sorry about that. I tripped and my food went flying!" she panted as she stopped in front of me. I grabbed some napkins and began helping Tomo-chan with the clean-up.

"Don't worry, there's no real harm," I said with a smile. "I'm Nanami Haruka." I extended and hand to the girl. She smiled at me and placed her hand in mine.

"Ishino Aika," she said with a quick shake. I heard the clink of a charm on a bracelet and looked down. Wrapped around Aika's wrist was a silver bracelet with a blank charm. I almost bit my lip. A blank charm meant that the girl wearing it had been recruited to be given to a Unit who's Home-Maker had either gotten too old, permanently handicapped or had died. "Are you really alright?" She smiled and something inside me twisted, probably at the feeling of the shake still making its way down my back.

"Yes, I'm fine," I assured.

"Alright then, sorry again," Aika said before she left to get more food.

"If you see her again, be cautious," Tomo-chan said as she wiped at the last of the cleanable stuff from my hair and back.

"Tomo-chan?"

"There's just something not right about her, alright?" I nodded and sat down again.

"I'll be careful, I promise Tomo-chan." Tomo-chan sat down with her lunch just as Ringo-sensei began walking around, looking for any girls with our bracelets. When he came to our table, he stared at me in horror, not that I could blame him. I must've looked like I'd slept in a garbage bin.

"Haruka-chan, what in the world happened?!" he asked.

"Um…just had a little accident," I said with a little chuckle. Ringo-sensei looked at Tomo-chan and she nodded her agreement. Ringo-sensei pulled a pen from his bag and scribbled on a napkin.

"You two will go here when you're done. He's up on the fourth floor and he'll help you girls get your dresses together as well as a few other dresses you'll need." Tomo-chan and I nodded and Ringo-sensei left us to ourselves.

After that, Tomo-chan and I were rather quiet. We both knew what would happen after this last store; we'd be taken to our separate cars and driven to meet with our Units. Tomo-chan tried making a cheerful conversation but even her good acting couldn't hide the anxiety and sadness I could feel from her.

We finished our meal and went up to the store. The sign above the door read "Pierre's' in curvy blue letters. The inside had white walls and white tile floors. Whatever wasn't white was either chrome, glass or an off-white color.

A young woman dressed in the loudest neon-orange dress I'd ever seen stood at the entrance. She had on blue knee-high stilettos, bright blue lipstick and her blonde hair had been teased so much that her hair looked as if she'd stuck her finger in an electrical socket.

"Can I help you ladies?" she asked. Tomo-chan lifted her wrist to show her bracelet and the woman's eyes went wide. "Please have a seat. I'll go get Pierre." Tomo-chan and I sat down and Tomo-chan was quick to pick up a magazine. On the cover was the picture of a young man with somewhat messy black hair dressed in jeans and a black hoodie, struggling against an officer. Black sunglasses hung off the tip of his nose, showing deep blue eyes. Underneath it in big, yellow letter was "BUSTED AGAIN! Is this HAYATO's last chance? What he said to officers. How he got out of jail time."

In only a few moments, I heard something crash loudly from inside the store.

"Where are zey?!" someone began to yell. I turned to Tomo-chan and she smiled reassuringly. "Where are zeze lovely ladiez? I absolutely must- AH!" I almost screamed too. The man that walked in was dressed in a white fur coat so massive that I couldn't see any of his other clothes, aside from his white leather shoes. He also wore a black fedora with a leopard-print band just above the brim with a large peacock feather sticking out of the back.

Tomo-chan stood up and I followed her example.

"Are you Pierre?" she asked. The man came closer and kissed the back of Tomo-chan's hand and mine.

"Indeed I am, mademoiselle," he said with a smile. Then he took some of my hair in between his fingers and looked at it scrupulously. "But, cher, what kind of look were you going for 'ere? Are we going for ze 'I-just-crawled-from-ze-dumpster' look, I zink no. Anastasia!"

"Yes sir?" A young woman with brown hair pulled back in a bun with fierce blue eyes dressed in a black dress, black heels and a red cardigan stepped forward.

"Please help zis girl. I will handle zis one myself!" Anastasia come up and led me back into the store. She washed out my hair and sat me up before I was really able to look her in the eye, even if it was only through the mirror.

"Are you nervous?" she asked. I shrugged as she combed out my hair. "Don't be alright? I'm certain the military will protect you just as well as anyone could." I nodded again. "What's your name dear?"

"Nanami Haruka," I said. Anastasia nodded with a warm smile as she clipped my hair up.

"Well, Haruka-chan, you can call me Anne, alright? Pierre's just eccentric by nature." I nodded but stopped moving when Anne pulled out a pair of scissors and began clipping at the ends of my hair.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"You have some split ends here. I'm just clipping them off is all. Would like to highlight your hair?"

"No, ma'am," I said. She nodded.

"Do you wear make-up Haruka-chan?" Anne asked. I bit my lip a little. I know most girls my age wore make-up but when I had first asked my Gran about it, she'd said that make-up causes more zits and I dropped the matter, only ever wearing lipstick when I had to go to a formal event.

"No ma'am," I said. Anne nodded and finished clipping my hair. "My Gran says it causes more zits than it covers up."

"Well, if it's not washed off properly, but we can give you some supplies to help with that, alright?" I nodded as she pulled me out of the chair and lead me to a table surrounded by so many drawers full of different-colored pallets I couldn't begin to count them.

Anne made quick work of my make-up before handing me a mirror. I gasped audibly. My eyes were lined with black that feathered towards my eyebrow and my lids were dusted with pale pink. A faint blush was dusted onto my cheeks and my lips were painted pink as well.

"Do you like it?" I nodded as I handed the mirror back to Anne. She put it in front of me and made me look at it again. "Haruka-chan, make-up is supposed to enhance your natural beauty, understand? You already had a beautiful face and fantastic eyes, what we did just made them stand out a little more, alright?" I nodded and Anne led me to another table where she worked on my nails and painted them a pale pink color that reminded me of sakura blossoms.

Then she led me to a curtained off room where she took my measurements and had me try on a number of expensive-looking dresses until she settled on a pink dress that stopped just short of my knees and had only one strap that went over my shoulder. The strap had a ruffle so it covered a little more skin but I was still a little self-conscious. The skirt frilled out a bit and I was fine with that, but the amount of leg exposed still made me uncomfortable.

Anne put a pair of red heels designed like sandals in front of me and I slipped my toes in. Anne brushed at my dress and hair, trying to fix up anything she could to make me look even a little bit better. But eventually, she sighed and smiled at me before giving me a little hug.

"A bit of advise: relax and smile. And show them the real Nanami Haruka, not some timid little girl afraid of her own shadow."

"I'm not afraid of my shadow," I pointed out. Anne laughed a little and pulled me away.

"Just be yourself and trust your gut." I nodded and she hugged me one last time before handing me a bag with a make-up kit, some hair-care supplies, a few things to wash my face and the clothes and shoes I'd arrived in. Anne gave me one last hug before leading me out the door. Outside was the orange-haired man who'd put the bracelet on me and Tomo-chan's driver. She was likely still inside the store.

"Nanami-san, we need to leave," my driver said. I looked back at the store but I couldn't see Tomo-chan anywhere. I sighed and followed the man to the elevator quietly. The doors were closing when I heard Tomo-chan yell my name and I looked up only to see her hand waving good-bye as the doors shut.

"Did you two become friends?" he asked. I nodded and he made a noise to show he understood. "Don't worry. You two will see each other at school."

"School?" The doors opened and he led me out of the mall and towards the car.

"Yes. While the boys are learning to be a team, you girls will learn how to care for them. Of course, you have a Specialty Unit which means you may take a class or two with them."

"How so sir?" I asked.

"Well, you need to learn how to be a calming presence to these boys, which will include a music class, cooking class, and even a class about dog interaction. Your boys will be with you for the last two as they also need to learn how to care for you." I nodded. "Also, being a Specialty Unit means they become famous in order to show just how good at something a person can become through the military. Basically, they're propaganda units."

"So wait…by famous do you mean…"

"They become idols." I bit the inside of my cheek. If my Unit was meant to become idols, then maybe…just maybe…I actually _could_ compose like I'd dreamed of. I'd need permission of course, but still, it was a chance!

I got back into the car and slipped my seatbelt on. The orange-haired man sat down beside me again and smiled.

"You seem excited."

"A little," I admitted. He nodded.

"Well, the members of the Unit you'll be assigned to for this school year are Warrant Officer Class 5 Kurosu Syo, 2nd Lieutenant Ittoki Otoya, 1st Lieutenant Shinomiya Natsuki, Captain Hijirikawa Masato, Lieutenant Colonel Jinjuji Ren, and Colonel Ichinose Tokiya." I nodded and ran through the ranks and names in my head. I'd studied the various pins different ranks earned in school as had every girl in my school, so it would be easy to figure out who was who when I met them.

Eventually, the car rolled up in front of the restaurant and the driver came over to open my door for me. I stepped out and brushed out my dress.

"Have fun," the orange-haired man said as the door was shut and the driver went back to his job. I watched the car leave and squared my shoulders. I went into the restaurant and showed the hostess my bracelet. She led me outside to a pristine, white gazebo on the edge of a small lake where swans were sleeping on the water. Inside was table covered in white cloth with a card displaying the number 6 set on a decorative steel pole that also held a few candles to light the table. The seat was one bench going all around the table, leaving enough space to slide into. It was covered with plush cream cushioning and I almost sank into it when I sat down.

I could almost barely contain my excitement as I waited for Specialty Unit 6 to arrive. Would they like music? Would they even allow me to compose music? All I could do was hope. My nails began to tap out on the table, my fingers moving as if I was really playing the piano back at Gran's house. Fireflies appeared from the grass and crickets began to chirp.

I heard footsteps and turned to see a single figure coming towards me. He was dressed in a black suit with a short hat perched on his head. Over the shiny black bill was a silver eagle. He wore white gloves on his hands.

"Can I help you sir?" I asked as politely as I could. The man removed his hat, revealing messy black hair that almost looked like a deep indigo in the moonlight and deep blue eyes.

"Maybe you can. I'm looking for a young woman. I'm afraid I don't know what she looks like but I was told she'd be out here. Are there any other gazebos around here?" My jaw dropped as recognition clicked. "What is it?" he asked.

"HAYATO-sama?" I said. His eyes instantly went hard as stone and so much colder than ice, that I felt a sudden chill make its way down my spine.

"I'd prefer not being compared to that drunkard of an addict," he snapped as he put his hat back on. Something shimmered on his chest and I looked. His lapel was decorated with a gold bar marked with purple, red, green and blue stripes; Colonel. I gasped.

"Colonel Ichinose Tokiya?" I corrected. "Is that who you are? Colonel Ichinose Tokiya of Specialty Unit 6?" The Colonel raised an eyebrow at me.

"I guess you're the girl I was looking for then?" I moved out from the bench and stood before him.

"I'm Nanami Haruka," I said with a bow. "And I'm sorry about earlier...It's just that, you and HAYATO-sama look alike and you both sound the same."

"I'm his younger twin brother, that's why we look and sound alike. But I'd prefer that never come up in any conversation again."

"I understand sir," I said. He made me look him in the eye.

"The reason there's a hierarchy in this Unit is because we want there to be some people to grant you certain privileges and those who can revoke it as well. But let's get this clear; my orders take priority over all others, understood?" I nodded again and he moved past me to sit down at the table.

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Justie: Okay, how is that for a debut chapter? Now remember, leave a review, follow/alert and see you next time. Bye!


	2. Chapter 2

Justie: Hey everyone! I just wanted to let you know that I got a couple of reviews and to the reviewers/followers/favoriters I say a very heartfelt thank you. Now, on to the story!

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I looked over my shoulder at Ichinose-san as he sat down at the bench. I understood that some twins were identical, but still, the resemblance to HAYATO-sama was amazing.

"Oi, Colonel, did you find her yet?" I snapped around to see five more boys coming from the restaurant towards the gazebo. I looked at the lapels before I would look at the boys. The Lieutenant Colonel was marked with a silver bar with purple, green, red and blue stripes. The Captain had a purple square with a black X over the top. The 1st Lieutenant was marked with a green square with a white stripe over the top. The 2nd Lieutenant had a red square and the Warrant Officer had a blue circle.

"I'm Nanami Haruka, nice to meet all of you," I said with a bow. The Lieutenant Colonel had shoulder-length orange-blonde hair and bright blue eyes that were alight with something I didn't know and that made my stomach to summersaults. He'd taken off his gloves and his hat was askew on his head. His tie hung loosely around his neck but somehow, he made it all look really good.

The Captain had strictly-cut black hair and bright blue-grey eyes. I could hardly see a crease or fold out of place on his uniform. The eagle emblem, bill of his hat and even his black shoes had been polished and shined to perfection. His gloves also looked brand new.

The 1st Lieutenant had clipped a tiny ducky keychain to his pocket and had almost-mane-like blonde hair and glasses. I could see a pair of bright green eyes behind those thin rims. He looked me over and I could see a slight pink coming to his cheeks.

The 2nd Lieutenant had bright, fiery-red hair and brown eyes that almost looked crimson. He also had a bright smile that warmed me up from the inside out as if the sun had just risen from inside of me.

The Warrant Officer had replaced his uniform hat with a fedora with a pink stripe and his jacket was left open and looked as though he was about to shrug it off. I could see platinum-blonde hair that looked silver in the moonlight and bright blue eyes.

"Ichi, you sure you've got the right table?" Jinguji Ren asked.

"Quiet certain. And she was the only one sitting out here." The Lieutenant Colonel looked me over. His blue eyes held a kind of fire in them that made my knees a little wobbly. He smirked as if he knew exactly what he was doing and leaned in towards me. I took a small step back.

"What are those people thinking, giving us a sweet little lamb like this? I don't know how I'll be able to hold back this year."

"Jinguji," Hijirikawa Masato snapped as he stepped forward. "Your flirtatious comments are really unnecessary." The Captain turned to me. "My apologies for his behavior, as well as any behavior that may arise this year," he said with a bow. In a half-panic, I bowed as well.

"No, sir, it's perfectly fine sir," I assured as we both stood up straight. Hijirikawa-san had a very cool feel about him, but I could also feel something behind that cold exterior; something that was only a spark right now but…

"Aww. She reminds me of Elizabeth!" the 1st Lieutenant said as he wrapped his arms around me and nuzzled my hair with his cheek.

"Oi, Natsuki!" I felt blood rush to my cheeks. "Will you get off her?" Warrant Officer Kurosu Syo pulled Shinomiya-san off me and made him back away. "What the heck?!"

"I couldn't help it! She reminds me of Elizabeth so much!" I blinked a little bit. Elizabeth was a foreign name…perhaps a woman he knew before the Academy.

"Your family dog?!" My shoulders dropped as Shinomiya-san nodded.

"Just so tiny and cute, I miss her so much!" Shinomiya-san grabbed Kurosu-san and cried a little.

"Get off me already!" The red-haired 2nd Lieutenant approached me.

"I'm Ittoki Otoya, nice to meet you," he said with a warm smile and an extended hand. I shook it gently and couldn't help but smile back at him. "So then, this is-"

"I'm sorry for interrupting, Ittoki-san, but I already know everyone's name. My driver told me on the way here." Ittoki raised an eyebrow at me.

"Ittoki-san? Otoya is fine." I nodded. "So then, how about we all sit down and get to know each other?"

We sat down at the table and a waiter came to give us our menus.

"Would it be alright if we all called you, Haruka-chan?" Ittoki-kun asked.

"Of course. Call me whatever you like," I said with a smile. Jinguji-san put an arm around my shoulders.

"Whatever I like? Then how does Little Lamb sound?" That made me a little nervous.

"Jinguji, please restrain yourself," Hijirikawa-san scolded as he set down his menu. I hid my face in my menu.

"So Haruka-chan, what are you most excited about with school?" Ittoki-kun asked.

"Well…I made a friend today so I hope I can see her in a few classes…And I'm also looking forward to my music class."

"You like music Haruka-chan?" Shinomiya-san asked. I nodded.

"Yes. My Gran taught me to play the piano when I was little and I've loved music ever since."

"Well, there's something all of us can agree on, right?" Ittoki-kun asked. Shinomiya-san smiled.

"Yes. Syo-chan and I used to be in viola concerts together when we were younger." Ittoki-kun nodded.

"And Masa-kun can play piano too. And I play guitar and sing." I felt my chest become a little lighter. Maybe the idea of composing wasn't a huge stretch after all. "I'm not sure about Tokiya or Ren...but...if we all are good at music, maybe it's the career we could choose."

"Absolutely not." We all looked over at Inchinose-san. "This Unit is not getting on a stage for a career."

"I have to agree," Jinguji-san said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "I mean -no offence meant Colonel- but we all see what happens to basically everyone who steps on stage. Take the Colonel's brother for example."

At that moment, the waiter came back to take our order and left with our menus. My chest felt heavy again. That was the second time that day my dreams had been crushed before my very eyes. I tried to simply smile and act like nothing had changed but even Ittoki-kun's warm, infectious smile had faded somewhat. He bit his bottom lip for a moment before he brightened up and pulled out his cell phone.

"Haruka-chan, take a look at this." Ittoki-kun held his phone in front of me and looking back at me was a picture of said redhead with a black leash in hand that lead down to a brown Boxer with a white underbelly and red collar.

"Aww, how cute!" I said with a smile.

"His name is Hinata. If you like, I can show him to you when we get to the Academy." I nodded at the prospect.

"She'll meet all the dogs anyways," Ichinose-san pointed out almost harshly. Ittoki-kun pouted a little.

"I was just showing her Hinata because she seemed a little down is all." Shinomiya-san pulled out his phone and handed it to me as well. His dog was a white Pit Bull with brown spots over his muzzle like freckles and a yellow collar. My eyes widened a little at the picture. Gran had once told me of a Pit Bull attacking my grandfather when she'd been pregnant with my father and how he'd almost lost an arm.

"That's Piyo-chan," Shinomiya-san said with a warm smile. I swallowed a little. "What's wrong?"

"Oh! Nothing...It's just...My Gran told me a story once when I was little about how a Pit Bull attacked my grandfather when she was pregnant with my father is all. Aren't Pit Bulls dangerous?" I asked as I passed the hone back. Shinomiya-san shook his head.

"Its all about how the dog is raised. And its all psychological. Like raising a child, I guess. If the child or dog is raised to fight and attack, they'll do so. If they're raised to be kind and considerate, more than likely they will be. Aside from that, they're descended from wolves just as we're descended from monkeys. If a dog is likely to attack, we're equally as likely to act like a gorilla. Understand?" I nodded, suddenly feeling really bad for comparing Piyo-chan to the dog that had attacked my grandfather.

"Sorry, Shinomiya-san.." The blonde chuckled and pushed his glasses up his nose.

"Natsuki is better for me, Haru-chan." I smiled a little.

"So, do all of you have pictures with your dogs?" I asked.

"Its required for the dog's military file," Hijirikawa-san stated as he handed me his phone. His dog was a Doberman Pincher with brown front legs and back paws and wore a blue collar. "That's Satoru." I nodded and handed the phone back.

"Even the dogs have military files?" I asked.

"Of course. They're members of the Unit too, basically." Jinguji-san handed me his phone to show a German Shepherd with similar brown markings to Hijirikawa-san's dog but this dog had an orange collar.

"That's Stiff." I blinked.

"Stiff?" Jinguji-san nodded.

"When he was a puppy, all he wanted to do was lay around like a lazy old man, just being in the same room with me was enough for him. So I called him Stiff and now I can't walk three feet without tripping on him."

"He looks adorable, Jinguji-san," I said as I handed the phone back.

"Little Lamb, Jinguji-san was my no-good old man. I prefer being called Ren." I nodded.

"And you can call Masato, Masa-kun," Ittoki-kun said. "None of us should really be calling each other by our last names. We are going to be a family from now on, right?" Shinomiya-san nodded his agreement. I wanted to call them by their given names but it just felt a little too soon…Maybe.

"We only have her for the school year," Ichinose-san reported. "She's going to have interviews with other military units through the year and if a Unit wants her, they'll submit a form requesting her as their Home-Maker, understood?" Everyone nodded. Kurosu-kun handed me his phone, revealing him holding the leash to a massive tawny-brown Bull Mastiff with a pink collar.

"That's Dai," Kurosu-kun explained. I couldn't stop looking from Kurosu-kun to the dog in the picture. That dog was _massive_! How did he manage to train it before it got too big to not yank him off his feet?

"He's big," I breathed, handing the phone back.

"If you think he's big, wait until you see Sora," Kurosu-kun said with a smirk.

"Sora?" Ichinose-san handed me his phone. The screen showed a rather thin-looking dog with grey, wiry fur with a white patch on his chest and a purple collar.

"He's my dog and an Irish Wolfhound," Ichinose-san explained.

The waiter came back with our meal and was gone just as quickly. For the most part, most of us focused on eating. But Ittoki-kun and Shinomiya-san were always ready with a new conversation whenever the silence began to get awkward.

After dinner, the boys led me out to a black car that was meant to drive us to the Academy. Ittoki-kun rubbed at his stomach, which was bulging a little from the massive dinner he'd just put away.

"I'm sleepy," he yawned.

"That's the food coma setting in," Hijirikawa-san stated plainly. Ittoki-kun yawned again and leaned on my shoulder. "If he starts drooling on you, feel free to hit him to consciousness," Ichinose-san said from the front seat. I opened my mouth to retort but as I shifted, Ittoki-kun's head slipped off my shoulder and into my lap. I bit my lip to keep from making any noise. Maybe he'd woken up from the fall and was about to jump off me.

"Ugh…" he groaned before a hand wrapped around my legs and he snuggled into my skirt like I was some kind of teddy bear.

"Um…"

"Do you want him off, Little Lamb?" Jinguji-san asked with a wink.

"He's just sleeping right? No need to wake him if he's not doing any harm…right?" I said as I relaxed a little. I reached down and began carding Ittoki-kun's hair with my right hand.

He still had that infectious smile on, even when he was asleep. I could hear him humming a little, or maybe that was just him sighing in his sleep and I interpreted it as humming; either way, he still had a gentle singing voice, not too much tenor or base but somewhere around a tenor-baritone range that suited a boy like him.

All too soon, we arrived at the Academy. I felt bad but I woke up Ittoki-kun. His eyes opened slowly and he tensed up the second he realized how he'd been sleeping. He jumped up and hit his head on the roof of the car.

"Are you alright, Ittoki-kun?" I asked. He nodded and smiled as he rubbed his head and the boys got out of the car. Jinguji-san and Ittoki-kun offered their hands to me. I took both and let them pull me out of the car.

The school was a massive three-story building made of tan stone with red roofs, with some parts of the walls that students could use as relaxing places looking like they'd come from a castle-like setting.

The boys led me through the halls until we came to a white door with a black 6 on the front. Inside were light tan wooden floors that covered the majority of the room. On the walls perpendicular to the entrance were three doors, each with a semi-circle of carpet in front of it. The same was said for the door on the opposite side of the room. The room itself was painted a pale crème color. In the middle of the floor was a large couch with a couple plush chairs next to small tables decorated with reading lamps. A television was set against the wall and a dark brown coffee table stood in between it and the couch. The walls had a few shelves filled with books.

"Now then, if you all will excuse me," Ichinose-san said as he vanished into one of the three doors on the left wall.

"Haruka-chan," Ittoki-kun said as he wrapped an arm around my shoulders. "Don't worry about Tokiya, alright? I'm sure in a few days, he'll warm up to you." I nodded.

"Those doors lead to our kitchen and dining room, the laundry room and the bathroom," Hijirikawa-san said as he pointed to each door in turn. "We each share the rooms over there. I do believe your room is just down the hall." I nodded.

"Want me to walk you there?" Ittoki-kun asked. I shook my head.

"It's just the next door right? In that case, I'll see you all later. Good night," I said with a bow as I left the room and shut the door. I let out a small sigh and headed to the next door. It didn't have anything marking it and it was already cracked open.

I was too tired to worry about why so I slipped into my dorm room.

"No way…" I turned around and immediately, my night brightened. Tomo-chan was seated on one of the three beds in the room.

"Tomo-chan!" I cried as we ran to each other and hugged.

"Oh my goodness! After I saw you leave I thought we'd only see each other in class, I never thought we'd be roommates!" She started to cry a little.

"Tomo-chan, your make-up will run," I said, trying to keep from crying myself. Tomo-chan pulled away, took a deep breath and stopped crying.

"So, tell me everything. Who do you have? How was dinner?"

"Dinner was fine. I went to this one restaurant that had a gazebo on the edge of a lake, that's where my table was. And I think I really messed up my first impression with the Colonel…" Tomo-chan raised an eyebrow. "I thought he was HAYATO-sama…"

"What?! Seriously?! Because I read that he had some deal with the military that kept him out of jail in that magazine today!"

"But I was wrong…It turns out, my Colonel is his younger twin brother…And he doesn't seem fond of his brother at all…" Tomo-chan smiled a little.

"It's alright. Anyone could make a mistake like that between twins, right? But this could be good thing. If they all like singing, maybe you can-"

"They already said no." I bit my cheek, internally cursing myself for interrupting Tomo-chan and in such a harsh manner too. She didn't deserve that. "Sorry. But…the Colonel and Lieutenant Colonel both made it very clear that we're not becoming anything that takes place on a stage."

"Haruka…" I shook my head.

"That's my lot in life. I just have to work with it, right?" Tomo-chan nodded with a sad smile. "On another note, who's our other roommate?" I asked. Tomo-chan shrugged.

"No idea. There was a note on her bed saying she'd be back later…but the rulebook says we're not allowed to leave campus without a permission form."

"Rulebook?" Tomo-chan moved over to her desk and pulled out a thin book with the eagle emblem in the black leather.

"This. Read up. Also, I found our classroom numbers!" she squealed as she pulled out two small cards. Each one had one of our names on it and "Class A with Tsukimiya Ringo" written in curly, golden cursive.

"Ringo-sensei?" I said with a smile. Tomo-chan nodded and gave me a one-armed hug.

"Our uniforms are under our beds with the clothes we bought today. Let's get some sleep, alright? We need to look good for class tomorrow." I nodded and quickly went about washing my face of the make-up, brushing my teeth and getting changed into my pajamas.

I pulled my blankets up to my chin and couldn't help the small shiver that ran down my spine as Tomo-chan turned off the lights.

"Good night," she called.

"Good night," I repeated. I'd have to ask one of the boys for permission to leave campus to get some blankets as these sheets were thin. It was fine right now because it was still warm. But in the colder months, I'd definitely need a thicker blanket.

It took a little while, but I did manage to fall asleep. And as I dreamed, I could hear voices. Beautiful singing voices. Baritone, tenor, bass. All singing in a perfect harmony that made my heart flutter like a hummingbird's wing.

* * *

Justie: Well, that's all for now. I want you all to know that I really appreciate your time in reading and reviewing thus far. I will see you all again very soon. Please review!


	3. Chapter 3

I got this review the night I posted the last chapter and I simply had to respond to it because I've been in this position before.

To Forever or Never, I want you to know that when I started out with writing not too many years ago, I made the same mistakes you did and I thought I wasn't good enough to write professionally. But I kept practicing and trying. After many attempts, stories that ended up going nowhere, and enough summer days filled with writing 9-5, I managed to get to this very point. Just a little practice and believing in yourself, your abilities, your dreams, and putting your faith in God and His plan makes all the difference. His plan is the ultimate plan, the perfect plan. So believe in your dream, work hard for it and try your best. The worst anyone can say is "No" and even then, there's always self-publishing. Do what feels right and follow your instincts. You never know just where your fingers will take you once you put that pen in between them or the keyboard under them. Take this response for example. I wanted to simply say you can do it if you try and practice, but look at how much more I've written, and I assure you, this is all complete instinct from my heart.

I love all you reviewers/follower/favoriters and thank you for your continued support. I just read this review and absolutely had to respond to it. I love you all so much! Now, story time!

* * *

I heard birds twittering outside and could feel the warmth of sunlight on my face. Someone was shaking me awake.

"Gran?" I groaned as I opened my eyes. One stung and I rubbed at it as I became aware of Tomo-chan in front of me dressed in a black shirt, green pin-striped jacket, red bow around her neck, a yellow plaid skirt and black leggings.

"How rude!" I'm not nearly old enough to be your Gran," she teased. We giggled a little as I sat up in bed and stretched. "Did you sleep well?" I nodded and Tomo-chan handed me clothes matching her own. "Then hurry up and get dressed. After that, we can go to breakfast and get to class, okay?" I nodded again and started getting changed.

As I did so, I noticed the third bed had been untouched.

"Did our roommate leave already?"

"Probably. She wasn't here when I woke up." I bit my lip a little bit. I had never heard of a Home-Maker running away and I didn't think I wanted to know what happened to them if they did. I'd heard of soldiers that tried to desert getting caught, tried, and then killed for treason. If that was a soldier running away, would a Home-Maker simply be jailed?

I shook my head, determined to stop thinking about it as I slipped into a pair of red heels.

"Ready!" I said with a smile. Tomo-chan linked arms with me and walked us out the building. We passed by the door to my Unit's rooms and I briefly wondered if I should check in to make sure they were awake. They hadn't told me to and this was only my first day. I was certain they'd let it go if they'd expected me to wake them up at least this morning.

The mess hall was a massive room that looked more like the food court from the mall, only much cleaner. We ate our breakfasts quickly and headed to class.

Class A was mostly made up of other Home-Makers with a few Unit members here and there. Among the boys, I caught sight of a familiar head of red hair.

"Ittoki-kun!" I said with a wave. He turned and beamed at me before running up to me.

"Amazing! We're in the same class!" he said excitedly. I couldn't help the smile that formed on my lips or the giggle that escaped me. Ittoki-kun's atmosphere just seemed to spread that unique kind of joy that you feel when running barefoot through a field of the softest grass on the absolutely most perfect summer day.

"So you're a member of Haruka-chan's Unit?" Tomo-chan asked. Ittoki-kun nodded.

"Are you her roommate?"

"One of them. We haven't seen our other roommate yet though," Tomo-chan said. "I'm Shibuya Tomochika but everyone just calls me Tomo-chan." She extended her hand and Ittoki-kun shook it.

"Nice to meet you. I'm 2nd Lieutenant Ittoki Otoya of Specialty Unit 6. I'll be counting on your to keep Haruka happy when my Unit's not around."

"Does that mean that we have your permission to be friends?" Tomo-chan asked. Ittoki-kun nodded. I swear I was beaming brighter than a Christmas tree. A Home-Maker could be friends with anyone so long as her Unit allowed it. Even though Ittoki-kun was a member of a Unit I was only temporarily assigned to, his permission still allowed Tomo-chan and I to be friends as long as we liked.

"Thank you, Ittoki-kun!" I squealed as Tomo-chan hugged me tightly. Suddenly, another pair of arms came around me from behind and squeezed me.

"Haru-chan!" I couldn't help but chuckle at Shinomiya-san's voice.

"Good morning, Shinomiya-san." Shinomiya-san pulled away and smiled broadly at me.

"Unbelievable, we have the same class!" he said excitedly.

"We got placed here because of those tests we took last year, Shinomiya," Hijirikawa-san said as he walked by us and took a seat.

"Good morning Captain," I said with a smile. Tomo-chan grabbed my arm and yanked me towards the door.

"The Captain of you Unit is Hijirikawa Masato?" she hissed. I nodded.

"Yea. Do you know him?"

"Only by name. He's practically famous. He's the heir to the Hijirikawa Conglomerate. Who else do you have? You mentioned HAYATO's brother and then there's these three so who else?"

"Um…Warrant Officer Class 5 Kurosu Syo and Lieutenant Colonel Jinguji Ren." Tomo-chan's eyes went wide as saucers. "What?"

"Jinguji Ren is one of three heirs to the Jinguji Conglomerate. Honestly, no matter what your Unit does, you're set for life." I blinked.

"Tomo-chan, I'm only assigned to them for this school year. You know that." She smiled awkwardly.

"Sorry, sorry. Let's take our seats." I nodded and let her pull me back to my seat as Ringo-sensei came into the room.

"Good morning everyone!" Ringo-sensei called as he took his place at the front. "Everyone, please take your seats!" I heard a few girls squealing about how cute he looked but I shook my head and ignored them. "I know some of you might be a little tired after moving in or meeting your Units or Home-Makers last night, but I need your attention now." Everyone began to quiet down.

Ringo-sensei went over how every Unit had a required basic music and cooking course as well as a Home Economics course that the entire Unit would take with their current Home-Maker. Home-Makers also had a basic sewing class while the boys would go into training for whatever their choice of careers entailed; meaning idols would be put through a dance class, actors through a theater class and sports teams through an intense gym program.

I glanced back at Ittoki-kun who was looking towards heaven as if he was begging for something to save him. Guessing from Ichinose-san's very negative idea towards anything about being in the spotlight like an idol, he was probably putting his Unit on to become a sports team. And already, Ittoki-kun was dreading gym class.

Ringo-sensei kept talking about the classes until the bell rang, signaling lunch and the end of the educational day. Today was orientation so it was likely we'd have our other teachers rotating in and out tomorrow. Our Home-economics classes were all on Saturday.

Tomo-chan had to run off for her first interview and I started towards the door alone.

"Haruka-chan," Ittoki-kun called as he and Shinomiya-san came up to me. "Want to have lunch together?" I nodded.

"That sounds like a great idea," I said as we left the room together.

"And maybe after lunch, we can get the rest of the Unit together and introduce you to the dogs," Shinomiya-san suggested.

"I'd like that."

When we got to the lunchroom, it was already quite full of people, most of whom were boys still undergoing training. Some twelve-year-olds were running around and the older recruits were watching them with almost fatherly smiles.

"This place is huge..." I breathed. "I feel like I'm going to get lost."

"Just stick near us and you'll be fine," Shinomiya-san assured as he and Ittoki-kun headed down the stairs. I started following after them but my foot caught on something and my mind went blank as I saw the stairs coming at me. Suddenly, something was under me and my chin thumped on it, making me bite my tongue, as it lifted me up from under my hips and set me on my feet.

"Haru-chan!"

"Haruka!" I shook my head to clear the daze as Jinguji-san's face came into my sights.

"Are you alright Little Lamb?" I nodded, not wanting to show that my tongue was bleeding. Ittoki-kun and Shinomiya-san ran back up to us and Ittoki-kun knelt down next to me.

"What happened?"

"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry!" We all looked up at the girl who was coming down the stairs towards us. I recognized her pixie-short black hair and brown eyes but I couldn't remember her name. "I think you tripped on my foot. I'm sorry, I'm such a clutz." I shook my head and swallowed, trying to hide the bleeding.

"Its alright. No harm done...I'm sorry but I can't remember your name..." The girl smiled warmly.

"You can call me Aika-chan. And that's such a relief to hear you're alright." I nodded and turned to Jinguji-san.

"Thank you for catching me." His eyes were on Aika-chan as he wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me into his side and led me down the stairs to a table where Ichinose-san and Kurosu-kun were already seated. "Has anyone seen Hijirikawa-san? He's in our class but I figured he'd be here by now," I said as Jinguji-san sat me down.

"Nope, not yet," Kurosu-kun said as he bit into his burger.

"Haruka-chan, are you really alright?" Ittoki-kun asked, looking at my hands. I glanced down at them and saw they were shaking. I smiled.

"It's just a little shock. I'm alright. Really."

"What happened?" Ichinose-san asked.

"I just tripped on another girl on the stairs is all. Jinguji-san caught me before I could get hurt though. I promise, I'm fine."

"Then why is there blood on your lip?" Ichinose-san asked and my hand shot up to cover my mouth. "You bit your tongue, didn't you?" I nodded. "Honestly, it's not that big of a deal so just tell us," he sighed before taking a bite of his meal. I nodded and moved to get up but Ittoki-kun put a hand on my shoulder.

"We'll get your lunch. What would you like?"

"Oh no, I can get it. Really."

"We insist, Haru-chan," Shinomiya-san said with his warm smile.

"Well...then...could I have a burger please?" Ittoki-kun nodded and he and Shinomiya-san vanished into the crowd to get the food. "So what are we to do this afternoon?" I asked.

"I have some paperwork to fill out," Ichinose-san reported blankly. "I would suspect none of you have much of anything to do so I'll leave the afternoon to you. However, Nanami-san, the laundry will need to be done." I nodded as he pulled out a small journal and scribbled in it before tearing the page out and handing it to me. He'd written out various instructions for their uniforms, every day clothes and how to operate the washer and dryer.

"I understand, sir," I said as I tucked the page into my pocket. He nodded and returned to eating as Ittoki-kun and Shinomiya-san reappeared with the food and Hijirikawa-san in tow.

"Look who we found," Ittoki-kun cheered as he set down the food and passed me my burger.

"Thank you very much," I said before turning to Hijirikawa-san. "Where did you run off to if I might ask?"

"I was taking another route to the cafeteria is all," he stated simply before he began to eat. I nodded.

"So Ichinose-san just said that we don't have too much to do this afternoon," I said, trying to change the conversation. Ittoki-kun's eyes lit up.

"In that case, why don't we go out for a walk with the dogs?" he suggested. "They'll need a good walk since we didn't get a chance to do it last night. And it would be a good chance for Haruka to meet them."

"I have paperwork," Ichinose-san repeated. "But Sora will need to be walked."

"Does he pull on the leash?" I asked. Ichinose-san gave me a look.

"No. He doesn't."

"Then I can likely walk him. And if it gets too hard, I can exchange him with someone else's dog, right?" Ittoki-kun nodded.

"That sounds good to me," he said. Ichinose-san nodded.

"Fine then. I'll inform security. Excuse me," he said as he got up and left the rest of us at the table.

"Quick question: Does he always act like this?" I asked. Ittoki-kun and everyone else shrugged.

"Aside from whatever history we might share together, none of us really know each other," Hijirikawa-san said. "At the end of last year, we took an intellectual test as well as a physical ability test in order to achieve our ranks. Based on how we did in the intellectual, we were also given our class assignments. There was also a questionnaire we had to fill out that matched each of us up into our various Units. Thus, its not unusual for Units to start out as perfect strangers. Specialty Units are kept at the Academy for an extra year in order to learn compatibility as well as whatever it is they're doing for the military." I nodded and took another bite of my food.

"Icchi's got the hardest job," Jinguji-san sighed. "He has to watch all of our backs and report practically everything to the General in charge here. Then he also has his dog to take care of, and now his studies and a career selection for us." I nodded and continued to eat.

Soon enough, we were all done and headed down to the kennels. There was a dirt path leading in between two rows chicken wire fencing. Every now and then there was a door with a breed that lead down another hall with at least three kennels on each side. Male dogs were running up to the doors of their kennels and barking loudly while females laid passively in the corners either nursing newborn pups or waiting to birth them.

We eventually came to a hall with a 6 over the door and Ittoki-kun led us in. Almost instantly, six dogs were jumping on their kennel doors and barking at us. Ittoki-kun opened his door and the Boxer inside jumped on him and began licking him excitedly. I couldn't help but giggle a little as Ittoki-kun tried to calm down his dog.

"Hinata, down boy!" he scolded playfully as he managed to get the dog off. The Boxer still tried jumping up but then his attention caught on me. He darted forward and began sniffing my legs. After a moment, he sat down and his ears perked and I couldn't help but pet him a little. "Looks like he likes you." I smiled as the others opened the other cages.

Dai padded out and sauntered over to Hinata and me. I reached out to the dog and he licked me once before moving past me to lay down at the door. Stiff was jumping up, trying to mimic Hinata's reaction to his master, only to be pushed down by Jinguji-san. Then he caught sight of me and tried to repeat with me, only to have Jinguji-san hold him by the collar and keep him still. Piyo-chan yapped happily at his master but the second Shinomiya-san moved towards me, the dog's ears flattened against his head and he tried hiding behind Shinomiya-san's legs. Satoru sniffed at me then sat at attention as I pet his head.

Only one cage was still closed but no sounds were coming from it. Jinguji-san opened the door and out came the massive Irish Wolfhound.

"Hello Sora," I said as I reached my hand out to him. He sniffed it before tucking his head under my fingers and shaking his head so I was petting him. "Aww."

One by one, the dogs were clipped to their leashes and we headed out of the kennels, down the path and out to a massive expanse of undisturbed grass. Sora jumped forward a little at the sight of the grass but it was the only time he'd acted up at all.

"Normally we let them run around as they will while we do whatever assignments we have," Hijirikawa-san stated as he unclipped Satoru. I nodded and unclipped Sora. The other dogs were unclipped from their leashes and they all took off over the grass. Dai stayed by his master's side and lazily laid down. The boys and I took a seat on the grass and simply watched the dogs run.

"So it seems Ichinose-san is going to try making you guys a sports team Unit," I said. Ittoki-kun groaned and fell back against the grass.

"If that does become the case, we'll have an extensive gym class to determine the best sport for us to participate in," Hijirikawa-san reported.

"Please don't start," Ittoki-kun groaned. "I hated gym in regular training enough!"

"I can attest to that," Jinguji-san chuckled. "How many times did you try getting out of it by 'getting sick' again?"

"I lost count." I shook my head. The dogs began barking at something and coming back towards us. I stood up to see Stiff and Sora in the lead of the chase with a small black cat being their target.

"Oh no!" I cried as I ran forward. "Leave it!" I yelled as Stiff snapped at the cat's tail.

"Stiff! Sora!" The two dogs froze in their chase and the cat ran towards me, leaping up into my arms with a cry. The other dogs came up towards us but their collars were grabbed by their masters.

"What's gotten into you all?" Ittoki-kun asked as he held Hinata down. The Boxer kept barking and the tiny cat in my arms mewled as he rubbed his head on my chin. I pet him a little. He rested his head in my palm and laid out on my arm like a panther in a tree so his rear was tucked into my elbow. His green eyes closed contentedly.

"Honestly, I've never seen them act like this before," Shinomiya-san commented as he pulled Piyo-chan away from me and the cat.

"Is the cat alright?" Hijirikawa-san asked. I looked him over and he didn't seem to be harmed. My fingers caught on something around his neck.

"I suppose. Maybe his owner's not too far away because he has a collar on," I said as I moved the collar until the jewel decoration came into view. The other side had 'Kupuru' engraved but nothing else. "There's no address but the cat's name is on here."

Hijirikawa-san made Satoru sit down before moving to me.

"May I see him?" The cat hissed when Hijirikawa-san reached for him. I pet the cat's head gently and he purred as he snuggled my hand. I moved the collar around and undid the clasp before handing it to him. The collar itself was bright green with a purple jewel. Hijirikawa-san looked it over before putting it back on the cat. "We can probably take him to the vet on campus to see if he has a microchip. If not, we could probably make some signs to put up around town to try and find his owner. He looks well fed so he can't have been without his owner for more than a couple of days." I nodded.

"In the meantime, can I take care of him?" I asked. Hijirikawa-san looked to Jinguji-san who shrugged.

"I don't see a problem with it." Shinomiya-san smiled and came over to pet the cat.

"He's so cute. What's his name?"

"Kupuru," I answered as I scratched behind Kupuru's ears. "I think it fits him actually. Because his fur is black and he's fluffy." The cat meowed and reached up with his front paws to lick my face. I giggled a little.

The dogs went back to their business of running freely, save for Dai who was perfectly content to bask in the warm sunshine, drooling all over his master's leg, as the boys and I got back to our places on the grass. I picked a few dandelions and began to play with Kupuru a little. Shinomiya-san played with him a little as well.

By the time we had to return, none of the dogs, not even Stiff or Hinata had the energy to run around their masters and Kurpuru was sound asleep in my arms again. I couldn't help but rub my cheek on the soft fur on his head as he slept.

Once the dogs were in their kennels, the boys and I headed back to the dorm, where Ichinose-san was wrapping up the last of a massive stack of papers in front of him. He took one look at the cat in my arms and raised an eyebrow.

"The dogs were chasing this little guy today,' Jinguji-san explained. "The Little Lamb decided to be a hero and until we find the little guy's owner, I said she could take care of it." Ichinose-san nodded.

"Don't let it use the bedrooms for a bathroom," he said as he got up, collected his papers and left for his room.

"Yes sir," I said as I set Kurpuru on a couch cushion. The cat curled into a ball and began to purr in his sleep. "I suppose I should get started on the laundry…" Hijirikawa-san opened the door to the laundry room and beckoned for me to follow.

"I'll help you out so you know what you're doing," he said and I nodded as I followed him into the small room. It was more like a closet really, with only enough space for the washer and dryer to be stacked on top of each other and a hanger of clips to hang from the back of the door. A cloth mesh basket was folded up in the space between the wall and the washer. "We already put the clothes into the washer for you. So for dark clothes, you use cold water and for white clothes, you use hot. Our uniform jackets and slack don't go into the dryer. Instead, they get hung up on the hanger here, understand?" I nodded as he started the washer. "Should only take about an hour." I nodded and we shut the door.

"So now that the laundry's done, what should we do for dinner?" I asked.

"Let's just order a pizza from the mess," Kurosu-kun said as he picked up a phone from the coffee table. "Aside from that, I can also call the campus vet and set up an appointment for the cat."

"Thank you, Kurosu-kun," I said as I let Kurosu-kun handle the order and I went back to Kupuru and set him on my lap. The cat still slept on but snuggled against my leg, purring happily.

* * *

The next morning was my first real music class.

"Alright everyone, attention please!" Ringo-sensei called. "Now, I know you're all excited to get started and so am I so let's get our tails moving. Our first assignment is going to be one Home-Maker writing and composing a song with a member from a Unit. So I already have the boys names written and have them in this hat." Ringo-sensei pulled a black top hat from his desk and held it out. "So, we're going to have our pairs selected from here. First on the list is Nanami Haruka-chan!" I got up and pulled out a slip of paper and opened it to see 'Ittoki Otoya' written on it. I looked back at him and smiled.

"Alright! I'm paired up with Haruka-chan!" he cheered as I moved back to my seat. One by one, every girl got a partner, and Ringo-sensei began to explain how the assignment was going to work.

"So you're going to decide who in your partnership will be the lyric-writer and who will be the composer. Then you will record the song and perform it for the class, is that understood?" Everyone nodded and Ringo-sensei nodded himself before pulling out some pages. "Very good then. And since we have extra time this morning, I think it would be fitting to have a few people show us their own musical talent. Let's start with Nanami Haruka-chan." I nodded and stood up.

"What would you like to play?"

"I'll play the piano," I said as I moved to the piano in the back of the room. Ringo-sensei put the papers in front of me, revealing they were covered in lines and dots that I couldn't make heads or tails of.

"You can play the melody if you like, it starts sixteen measures from the intro." I looked at Ringo-sensei to the papers again. Was Ringo-sensei even speaking Japanese at this point? "Right here, at the repeat mark." I blinked as he pointed to the mark he intended. "Would you prefer corded music?" Again, I blinked and looked around. Ittoki-kun looked a little dumbfounded while SHinomiya-san and Hijirikawa-san looked at me with pity.

"Do you think she can't play?" one of the girls asked. I stood up instantly.

"I can play the piano! My Gran taught me!"

"Her Gran? She didn't learn it in school?"

"Even then, she should know how to read sheet music, right?" I looked at the papers again. Is that what this was? Sheet music?

"I bet she's just pretending not to know so she can get her Unit expelled," another girl said.

"Why?"

"If she fails a class, it looks bad on the Unit and they get deployed. The military can't have failures in their ranks or those who would allow for them to happen."

"Seriously?"

"Yea. I bet she thinks if she gets her Unit deployed, she can do whatever she wants. Doesn't she know if they die she'll get shipped to an older Unit?"

"Maybe she really can't read sheet music," Tomo-chan spoke up.

"Are you kidding? What idiot doesn't know how to read sheet music?" one girl whispered.

"Everyone, shut up!" I jumped and snapped around to see that Ittoki-kun had risen to his feet, the tips of his ears going as red as his hair. I had never heard him yell. Even Hijirikawa-san and Shinomiya-san looked surprised. But Ittoki-kun looked practically livid.

"Ittoki-kun, calm down," I called. He looked at me and took a deep breath, calming down some. That livid fire was still alive in his eyes and I could tell that if one more girl said another thing against me, he might just snap and there'd be no stopping him this time without throwing myself in his way. I looked at the students in the room, then Ittoki-kun and the music.

The bell rang and everyone began to leave the room. I couldn't believe how completely stupid I must've looked.

* * *

Justie: That's all for now. Love ya'll and please leave a review!

Explanation: In this universe, girls get taught how to perform a musical instrument of some kind in school. Because Haruka's Gran taught her to play piano, her school let her count that as her music credit.


	4. Chapter 4

Justie: Wow! I hit some major writer's block about halfway through this! Thankfully, I snapped out of it and managed to get this done! Ugh! I cannot stand when everything won't let me just do the work I love. Anyway, please review and see ya'll at the end!

* * *

I felt the rain coming down before I heard the thunder rolling. I pulled my jacket tighter around myself and sighed a little as the clothing actually did very little to protect me from the icy bite of the rain. I knew I should've sought out shelter, but every part of me felt heavy, as if someone had ripped out my bones and replaced them with lead.

I still couldn't believe how stupid I must've looked. I hadn't seen a piece of sheet music in all of my life and yet girls in school already knew what it was. I'd learned from Gran and my school let me take a study hall instead of music class because of it.

Something warm was placed on my head gently and warm hands held it in place on my shoulders. I looked back to see Ittoki-kun smiling at me in his trademark warm way, any trace of his earlier anger was gone.

"It'd be a shame if you caught a cold," he said, softly, gently, as if talking to a baby animal who might run off if he spoke too loudly. Probably not a far shot from how I must've looked. I nodded and let him lead me to a small gazebo on the edge of a lake not too far away. The dark skies turned what was probably beautiful, clear water into dark murkiness that almost made the lake look like a gaping mouth, ready to swallow you up at any second.

I sat down against the railing so my back was to the lake and Ittoki-kun leaned against the opposite side. I could feel his eyes on me but I couldn't raise my head to look up at him. I felt I should say something but each time I tried, nothing would come out and all I wanted to do was curl in more and more on myself. Ittoki-kun was a nice guy and I highly doubted anyone would argue. He had that warm, infectious smile that spread like wildfire and the air about him that reminded me of when I was little, running through the yard on a sunny day. The only time I'd seen him angry was to defend me.

"Did...Did I...scare you?" My head snapped up to look him in the eye. I might've just been the rain on his face but it looked like his eyes were becoming wet. My heart wrenched inside my chest and I almost felt a real, physical hurt where it beat.

"No..." I said, looking down at my knees. "Its just...I wanted to compose music and...I've never seen a scrap of sheet music before...so...I..." My words stopped. I couldn't think of anything more to say. There didn't seem to be anything more _to_ say. I couldn't throw the blame on Gran. She didn't know I'd be forced into this situation.

I heard a sigh of relief and saw Ittoki-kun's shoes come over to me. I felt his hand on my head and he began combing his fingers through my hair. I felt myself relax a little. His hand was warm and gentle, even when he snagged on a piece of my hair.

"Don't worry about what those girls say. No matter what you do, people are going to talk, alright?" I nodded and glanced up at him. He was staring out over the lake but his eyes seemed to be seeing something a million miles away and a thousand years before. He glanced at me and smiled in his usual trademark way again.

He sat down next to me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders, pulling me into his side.

"Yes sir," I said, not feeling any better about the situation. He squeezed me a little and gave me that bright smile.

"You know what? We're actually in the same boat." I raised an eyebrow. "It so happens I can't write lyrics to save my ever-loving life!"

"Seriously?" I asked, wide-eyed.

"We're two peas in a pod, we are," he said in a cheery, sing-song voice. I couldn't help but giggle at his optimism. "But you love music right?" I nodded.

"I wanted to be a composer."

"And you still can be. And if it's what you really want to do, then I'll make sure to help you learn to read sheet music, alright?" I nodded.

"I promise, I won't let you down. I'll learn how to read sheet music really quickly and I'll write the best music this world has ever heard!" Ittoki-kun smiled and helped me to my feet.

"Let's do our best, alright?"

"Yes sir!" I said with a salute. We both chuckled a little.

"Another thing, I already said it was fine to call me Otoya, when you're comfortable with it, of course. And I've never really been formal, so there's really no need to call me sir, okay?" I nodded as his hand gripped mine a little tighter. The pads of his fingers were calloused from military work and the tips even more so, probably from his guitar.

He pulled me into his side and we bolted back towards the dorms. Otoya was laughing and smiling so warmly, I almost forgot about how cold the rain was. He dropped me off back at my room and headed back to his own.

I opened the door and stopped in my tracks at the sight of Aika-chan in the room.

"Aika-chan?" I said. The girl jumped a little and smiled at me.

"Haruka-chan! Why are you all wet?"

"I was out in the rain," I admitted as I shut the door and began to get changed.

"Why?" she asked.

"It's not important now. I need to head to the library to study if anyone from my Unit asks where I am." I pulled on a pale-blue dress and a white sweater over it and slipped on a pair of white sandal-like heels. Then I slipped on my raincoat and grabbed my umbrella. "Bye now!"

"Bye!" Aika-chan called as I left. I ran to the library as fast as I could and got directions from the librarian towards the books I needed. I grabbed a few and sat down on a couch with them before starting to read. I noticed Hijirikawa-san sitting at a table not too far off with his own study materials.

After a while, he closed his book and came over to me.

"Sir?" I asked, holding my place with my thumb but closing the cover so my attention wasn't diverted.

"The library will be closing soon and Ichinose-san wants the Unit to have dinner together." I nodded and collected my books. We checked out what we needed and he led me to the mess hall and to our Unit. I sat down with my books and began to read again. Ichinose-san gave me a look as Jinguji-san picked up a book.

"Why are you studying how to read sheet music?" he asked.

"Because my Gran taught me to play, not read sheet music."

"So you're telling me that you haven't the slightest idea how to read sheet music?" Ichinose-san asked.

"I can tell the difference between a sharp and a flat now. And I know where certain notes are on the scale, thank you very much sir," I said before effectively blocking him from sight with my book.

"Oh-ho, the little lamb has a little bite, doesn't she?" Jinguji-san asked, pulling the side of my book away. I shooed his hand away.

"I'll bite you if you don't let me study gosh dang it." Otoya and Kurusu-kun both burst into laughter at that point and I couldn't help but join in.

"Isn't there a different music class we can enroll her in that would teach her how to read sheet music?" Ichinose-san asked. I couldn't tell if he was being harsh or sincere in asking.

"I've already looked into it, sir. And there's no such classes available, at least not for Home-Makers." After that, dinner passed by quickly. I ran into Ringo-sensei as we left and he gave me a pink notebook full of blank sheet music.

"Ringo-sensei?" I asked.

"Order from higher authorities, Haru-chan. I don't question them, I just follow them," he said dismissively before walking away.

The boys and I went back to the dorm and as I moved the laundry, Otoya sat by me on the couch, listening to his music on his headphones. Every now and then, he'd scribble something in a notebook, only to cross it out. I had my own notebook on the table, waiting for me to open it and start composing. Eventually, he took off his headphones and rubbed his ears.

"Are you alright?" I asked. He nodded.

"Just writer's block. I'm going to ask the others if they have any ideas." I nodded and he moved past me and vanished into his and Ichinose-san's room.

He emerged a few moments later, looking as if someone had yanked his brain out of his ear, had a herd of horses drag it around a few miles then have it jammed back into his head.

"Um...? Are you alright?" I asked as he slowly moved towards Shinomiya-san and Kurusu-kun's room. I marked my place and went into Ichinose-san's room. The Colonel was seated at his desk, looking through a book of some kind. "What happened in here?" I asked.

"Pardon?" Ichinose-san said as he looked at me.

"Ittoki-kun just walked out of here, looking like a zombie and I want to know why," I explained. He shrugged.

"He said he needed help writing lyrics for your music class and I told him what the theory books said. If it damaged his brain, not my fault." I rolled my eyes and shut the door as Otoya left Shinomiya-san and Kurusu-kun's room, looking a little more like himself, but somewhat confused.

"Um..."

"The stars...huh?" he said before heading into the last room. I opened the door to Shinomiya-san and Kurusu-kun's room and peeked in. Shinomiya-san was jumping around Kurusu-kun snapping pictures of the massive frog hat on his head. I shut the door and sat down again. Otoya came out of the last room a few seconds later and looked utterly exhausted.

"Are you alright?" I asked. He turned around and fell backwards onto the couch. I yanked my book out of the way but that meant his head landed on my legs. He turned his back to me and smiled as he cuddled my legs like a teddy bear. I smiled and returned to reading.

"We did it..." he said sleepily. I looked and his eyes were still closed. He squeezed my legs a little tighter. "We did it...we're the best...Haruka." I marked my page and set the book aside. I began carding his hair with my right hand.

"That's right...Otoya-kun. We _are_ the best. I promise, I won't let you down." I laid back into the cushions and began humming a tune my Gran had composed for me to help me sleep when I was little. It didn't matter if I was stressed, or scared or had simply had too much sugar, it always managed to put me to sleep.

* * *

I don't remember falling asleep. But I do remember the dream vividly.

I was a little girl again, running through the fields filled with grasses so tall they loomed over me and so soft I had no fear running without my shoes on. I turned around and the grasses were gone, leaving soft, sweet-smelling earth behind. Before my eyes, hundreds of sunflowers popped up, beautiful and full, stretching towards the sun.

Someone began to sing and I turned around again. Now, I was my proper age. And the sunflowers began turning away from the sun, towards whoever was singing. I looked and my eyes opened to see Kuppuru standing on my chest, staring at me with his bright green eyes.

"Oh hi boy," I said as I pet him gently and looked around. It was dark in the room with the lamp behind me on only gently. I was tucked in under a thick, black blanket and a fluffy pillow was under my head. A note was written on the table. I picked it up and gave it a look over.

 _Finding the right words is hard enough, never mind how hard it must be to write the score. Bring out a song from your heart and you'll find the melody the world needs to hear. Keep your focus and remember that what you feel in your heart will be felt by your listeners._

The message was written in green ink. The lettering looked hurried but yet, I could feel each one deeply on the other side of the page. I hadn't seen the boys' handwriting enough to know if it was from any of them.

I opened my notebook and tapped my pencil against the pages. No music came to my mind and after a while, I groaned in frustration. I kicked off the blankets and picked up my notebook and pencil and headed outside. Maybe a walk would help get the creative juices flowing.

I followed the path down to the same lakeside where Otoya and I had met up earlier. I set my notebook down on the gazebo floor and walked over to the edge of the water. It was so clear and still that it looked like a mirror. The moon shone brightly, like a gentle silver sun in the middle. The stars twinkled gently, reminding me of the warmth in Otoya's eyes. Gran's eyes looked like his many times, now that I thought on it. Could that be why I felt comfortable enough in his presence to cuddle with him on the couch?

A memory of Gran stirred in my head, one from so long ago I would've forgotten it fairly soon.

 _"Some of the smartest people talk to themselves Haru-chan. It helps people make connections when they hear their own voice. Give it a try whenever you're stuck. You never know, you may just strike gold."_ I sighed and looked around. It wouldn't be good if someone caught me out here, in the middle of the night, talking to myself.

"Otoya...is kind...warm...and almost always cheerful," I muttered to myself, not being able to help the smile that grew when I thought about his own smile. "When I think of him...I can't help but remember the sun when I was a kid. And I want to thank him for sharing that wonderful warmth with me..." Something clicked in my head.

The songs I knew, I'd played over and over again until I knew them by muscle memory. But...Otoya had something that made warmth spread out from my heart. My foot began to tap out a beat and I began to hum a little, hearing my own voice echo over the lake. I walked away from the gazebo and up a slight incline, still humming the music. That warm, fuzzy feeling Otoya could make sprouted in my heart again and I knew the song was perfect. The humming stopped and I ran over the notes in my head a little before...

"That was beautiful." I jumped and turned around. My foot slipped and I saw Otoya leap towards me as I began to fall backwards. He tucked my head into his chest and took the brunt of the fall and made us roll a little down the incline. The second we stopped he got up on his hands and knees, leaving me on my back facing him. He was covered in sweat and it had soaked through his t-shirt and stuck his hair to his forehead. "I am so sorry! I thought you heard me coming up! Are you hurt?" His words began to come much faster until I was only catching every fifth syllable or so as he checked my neck, arms, sides and legs for injuries.

"Otoya! I'm alright!" I said quickly, cutting off whatever he was saying. "I swear, I'm alright." His eyes were wide with surprise and his lips parted a little bit. "What's wrong?"

"You called me Otoya..." he said with a gentle smile as he wrapped his arms around my shoulders and pulled me to sit up in front of him.

"What were you doing out here?" I asked. He chuckled a little and scratched at the back of his head.

"I had major writer's block. When I was in basic training, running would always clear my head and help me think so I tried it."

"And?" He smiled at me.

"At first, I couldn't think of anything. But then I heard this amazing song and an idea hit me like _that!_ " he said, clapping his hands together for effect. I felt my cheeks heat up.

"B-But I-I was just h-humming to myself...Nothing huge..." I said.

"Are you kidding me? That was great composing if I ever heard it," he insisted. "So um...Let's see..." He tapped his finger on his leg a couple times as he worried his lip between his teeth. " _Let's hope the futures we make that ride this melody overlap each other today..."_ His voice was soft and gentle but there was that pure, baritone sound I knew he had, just so full of vibrancy and warmth.

"Those are...fantastic!" I said, feeling that warmth settle around me like a blanket. Otoya smiled at me.

"I think...maybe if we work together and not separately on this, we can really make it a good song. So, want to work together from here on in?" I nodded. He smiled again and stood up. "The sun will be rising soon and we have Home-Ec today. So we should head back to the dorm." I nodded and let him pull me to my feet.

We collected my things and Otoya dropped me off at my room before running back to his own.

I sighed happily as I entered my room to see Tomo-chan and Aika-chan getting dressed for class. They both gave me raised eyebrows.

"What?" I asked as I came in and began to get changed.

"Where were you all night?" Tomo-chan asked gently.

"I accidentally fell asleep on the boys' couch. Then I went for a walk and ran into O...Ittoki-kun." I hoped neither would notice my near slip-up. I was comfortable calling Otoya by his given name with only him in company, but not in front of others. Not quite yet at least. But by the curve of Aika-chan's eyebrow, she had noticed. "Anyway, if we're going to ask where I was last night, where were you the first couple days we were here, Aika-chan?" I asked as I pulled on my jacket and flipped my hair out from under it.

"I can't sleep when I first move into a new place. So I need to stay up and away from beds until I'm so tired I can start sleeping again," she explained gently. I almost felt bad about asking to throw attention off of myself.

"Sorry," I said. Aika-chan shook her head.

"It's fine," she assured. "Today, we have that Home-Ec class, right?" I nodded.

"Well then, let's do our best," she said with a bright smile. My stomach turned a little as she left. I shook my head and took a deep breath to clear my nerves but that uneasy feeling remained as I got ready for the day and even when Tomo-chan and I headed to breakfast.

We were going to have different classes today so we parted after our meal and headed to our classrooms.

When I walked into mine, I noticed there were four circular tables with seven chairs each and the teacher's desk was elevated. Numbers were taped onto the tables and I sat down at my table. I pulled out my notebook and began penciling in a few notes here and there. After a few moments of listening to some students shuffling in and my pencil scratching over the paper, my neck began to feel really stiff. I reached up and started rubbing it. A pair of hands gently pressed into my shoulders and I turned to see Shinomiya-san behind me.

"Haru-chan, does your neck hurt?" he asked. I nodded.

"Only a little," I said.

"I'm not surprised," Ichinose-san said as he appeared and took a seat. "I'm still curious as to how in the world you managed to put yourself to sleep." I shrugged and Shinomiya-san dropped his notebook on the table before his hands settled back on my shoulder, thumbs pressing into the tender spots along my neck.

After a little while, my shoulders and neck felt fantastic and Shinomiya-san sat down as the others began shuffling into the room.

Otoya took a seat next to me and smiled. I smiled back as our teacher came into the room. My jaw dropped when I recognized the man as the orange-haired one who'd driven me to meet the boys the day I was recruited.

"Haruka...do you know him?" Otoya whispered as the man called the class to attention. I nodded.

"He was in the car with me the day I was recruited," I explained. Kurusu-kun looked at me wide-eyed.

"Hyuga-sensei was your driver?" he asked. I nodded and he leaned back in his chair, a look of disbelief on his face.

"Is that a big thing?" I asked.

"Quiet down now!" Hyuga-sensei called. "I shouldn't have to say this at this point." The other whispers came to an end as well. I closed my music notebook and pushed it over so it was next to Ichinose-san. He gave me a look and I shrugged. "Very good. Now. I'm not going to bore you with what exactly this class is, as you should already know. Understand I do not tolerate late work, nor do I tolerate excuses. What you turn in with me is final. That means you cannot turn in something then come back later that day and turn in an updated version, nor can you replace a turned-in assignment with another. What I get is what is listed. Understood?"

"Sir, yes sir," every boy in the class said at once.

"Very good. Now, this class will work like this: I will give you an assignment to do in class. When you are done with it, you will turn it in. At that point, I will give you the rubric for a project that will be due at the start of the next class and you and your Unit are free to go. At the start of the next class, you will turn in your completed project and I will give you an assignment for the class. The cycle will then repeat. Am I clear?"

"Sir, yes sir." I looked around at the three other girls in the room. One started giggling at her Unit and another was squirming in her seat. The last one was staring at her nails, looking plain bored with the class already. I almost jumped when I realized it was Aika-chan. She caught sight of me out of the corner of her eye, smiled and waved a little. I waved back and returned my attention to Hyuga-sensei.

"Now, some of you may be aware of the extensive amount of paperwork your commanders have involving a career selection, correct?" Most of the boys nodded. "As of this year, the board has decided to use this first project to allow you to select your career without the use of paperwork. If you want to sing, make a song. If you want to act, perform a skit. If you want to be on a sports team, do something involving a sport. The rubric will explain further, understood?"

"Sir, yes sir!" rang out again as Hyuga-sensei held up a large pile of papers.

"Commanders from each Unit will come and get the assignment and pass them out among your table and you may begin." Ichinose-san got up and retrieved the packets and handed them out to us. It was a simple questionnaire with seven underlined spaces under each question for individual responses. Some were simply ridiculous like "Do you prefer 2% or whole milk?" while others were more serious like "What are your severe allergies?" and a few questions about blood type, any medical issues and the like.

Ichinose-san had us all write out our own answers first and then we'd all go around with each question and respond for the group to write down. All in all, we were done rather quickly and were released with the rubric for our very first project.

We went to the room first to change from the uniforms into more casual clothes. I chose to wear a cute little orange dress Tomo-chan had insisted I get. It was a red-orange color with small white flowers that had small reflective pieces in the flowers. It came with a white, woven belt with a brown buckle and I slipped on a pair of tan flats and slipped my notebook and a pencil into an empty bag from one of the stores. The boys were waiting for me outside the door, all dressed in jeans and t-shirts matching the color of the collars their dogs wore. Kurusu-kun and Shinomiya-san both had bags slung over their shoulders.

We headed out to the kennels and collected the dogs again. Hinata and Stiff made big shows of trying to jump on their masters again, Dai nudged his master's leg impatiently and Satoru sat at attention, waiting for his leash to be clipped on. Piyo-chan darted away from the other dogs and began leaping up at Shinomiya-san to put his leash on.

Sora began wagging his tail at the sight of his master. He bumped his leg with his head, pawed at his shoes, licked at his hand and walked around quickly, letting out small whines. Ichinose-san held up his hand and spread his fingers. Sora sat down instantly and let his master clip on his leash before we headed out to the long stretch of grass again.

It was still morning so the grass was wet with dew as we let the dogs off their leashes. Shinomiya-san and Kurusu-kun pulled out towels and a thick green blanket from their bags, laying them out on the grass so we could relax without getting wet. I watched as the dogs ran. Mostly, the grass was undisturbed. A few small hills rolled in certain places, but otherwise, it was completely flat. Trees were scattered around the area sparsely and in the far off distance, I could see the purple outline of mountains meeting with the sky, still somewhat painted with fading shades of pink, soft yellow and lavender, but crystal-blue beginning to take it's rightful place.

I slipped off my shoes and sat down on the blanket. Otoya laid out in front of me before toeing off his shoes and crawling until he was right next to me.

"How's it going?" I asked as he heaved a massive sigh. He chuckled a little at me and rolled onto his back. Ichinose-san was seated at the edge of the blanket and was going over the rubric. "What's the project?" I asked, drawing his attention away from the page.

"Well...as a Unit, we're supposed to either record on DVD or CD whatever it is we're doing. At least two members of the Unit must be involved and this can include the Home-Maker. This needs to involve someone learning or creating something new. So...based on that...does anyone have any ideas?" Everyone looked around at each other.

"Ne, since Haruka can be involved in the project, what if we teach her something?" Otoya suggested.

"Like what? Bike tricks?" Kurusu-kun asked.

"Maybe," I said. "I actually heard of some girls in my class learning how to ride bikes with only two wheels so it sounds like it-"

"Wait a moment," Ichinose-san said, holding his hand up and his face was scowling as if he was having trouble understanding what I'd said. "You never learned to ride a bicycle without training wheels?" I shrugged.

"If that's what they're called, then yes." Everyone was staring at me like I'd just grown a second head. "What?" Otoya was the first to break the stare and smiled brightly.

"Well...We can teach you how to ride without training wheels," he said.

"Although, it is strange," Hijirikawa-san said gently. "Wasn't there anyone to teach you? How did the girls at your school learn?"

"Well...Most of them talked about their fathers helping them. My father died when I was really small. I don't even remember him," I explained.

"What about your mother?" Jinguji-san asked.

"Or any uncles who could teach you?" Shinomiya-san added.

"Or your grandfather?" Kurusu-kun finished. I shrugged.

"My father was a construction worker with my grandfather. There was an accident and they both died in it. My mother died about a year later. And my parents were only children. My mother's parents died before I was even born and Gran had a hard enough time holding herself steady when she walked, let alone hold me up on a bike." Everyone who'd asked about my family bit their lip and looked away. I suddenly wished I'd just said that no one else could've taught me instead of going into details.

"My father stopped caring about what happened to me after my brother took the spotlight," Ichinose-san said gently. "I know it's not very close but...I think it hurts less when you barely knew him and he died. My father is someone I know and is still alive. But he already acts like I'm in a grave." Despite his words, Ichinose-san was smiling gently.

"My old man had two things he cared about," Jinguji-san jumped in. "The military and his businesses. My two brothers weren't selected for enlistment and my old man passed before I was selected for this Unit, believing he'd failed the government for not giving them a son good enough to join their ranks." I shook my head and turned to Hijirikawa-san.

"What about you, Hijirikawa-san?" I asked.

"My father's still alive. But he and I didn't have a very good relationship before I was recruited. To put it simply, it was only the current head of a business and his heir. I'm the only son he's had so...my being enlisted throws a real wrench in his plan. I know no one would allow it, but it does make me worry for my sister's safety."

"You have a sister?" I asked. Hijirikawa-san nodded.

"Her name's Mai. She's only around six, almost seven years old now, good heavens."

"So...she was born around the time you were recruited?" I asked. He nodded again. "Do you ever get to see her?"

"There's certain events the Academy holds that allow parents to come see their kids," Shinomiya-san said. "I remember when we first met Mai-chan when we first became a Unit. She was so cute in her little yukata!" Hijirikawa-san and Jinguji-san smiled a little.

"There's also times when someone can receive special permission to leave the Academy for a certain amount of time. I usually ask to go home for her birthday."

"And you Shinomiya-san?" The tallest of the group smiled and laid out on his stomach.

"I grew up on a farm in Hokkaido. My parents were always around and I had plenty of cute little animal friends to keep me company," he said cheerfully. My eyes widened a little.

"I grew up on a farm too," I said. "Grandpa wanted to build my parents their own house on the extra property but when he died, Gran rented the land out to farmers."

"Resourceful woman," Kurusu-kun said. "My dad would've liked her. He's all about using everything to the fullest and not wasting anything. My brother got that little trait as well."

"That's right," Shinomiya-san said, excitement coming to life in his voice. "Kaorou-kun came to a few of your viola contests when we were little, didn't he?"

"We're twins so you wouldn't have even noticed if he hadn't," Kurusu-kun said pointedly. Otoya laughed good-naturedly and put his hands behind his head. "Your turn Otoya."

"Not much to say. I was never really lonely and there was always fun stuff to do. I think I had a pretty good family. Never really had a Dad or a father but plenty of guys in the neighborhood kept me out of trouble." He rolled onto his side and stretched like a cat. "Is anyone else getting hungry? I'll go get us something to eat from the mess." Before anyone could say anything, he took off. I shook my head as Ichinose-san pulled out his phone.

"It's only 9:30..." he muttered as he put his phone away and scribbled something on the paper. I caught a glimpse of the writing as he folded it up and slipped it into his pocket. The letters were hurried-looking yet deliberate and I could've sworn I saw a flash of green ink.

I must've been staring because Ichinose-san gave me a strange look and I turned back to the others and began a pleasant conversation.

* * *

Justie: YAY! It's done now! Yahoo! Please review while I go take a catnap before starting the next chapter.


	5. Chapter 5

Justie: YAY! Time to relax and write! Ugh you guys would not believe my week, so I'll just keep it quiet. But thank you to everyone who reviewed and put this on their lists and all that. YAY! Now then, sorry about this taking so darned long and enough of my chit-chat.

* * *

Otoya came back a couple hours later, carrying a few more blankets, two boxes and had a backpack over his shoulder. Everyone gave him a somewhat confused look as he'd run off so quickly, to which he just chuckled.

"I'm so used to class ending around noon I forgot that it was still morning," he said with a grin. "So um...The cat's with the vet now. And I stopped by the dorm to get a few things before I got our lunch." He pushed the flatter of the two boxes towards the middle of the group and I smiled a little at the smell of pizza. Otoya took off his backpack and tossed it to Ichinose-san. "There's a computer in there so you can do what you need to." The Colonel nodded and pulled out a thin black laptop before turning it on.

"But we're no where near wifi, how's he going to do anything with it?" I asked. Ichinose-smirked a little and pulled a thumb drive from the bag as well.

"Portable wifi. Just plug it in and you're all set." He plugged in the drive and began typing away at whatever it was he was doing. I shrugged and Otoya picked up the last box before coming over to me. He pulled a knife from his pocket and quickly opened it before pulling out a few small packages wrapped in pink paper.

"Here you go," he said, putting the last of the items in my lap. This little box couldn't have been bigger than my hand but I already felt like this was too much. Some of the packages were much bigger.

"Oto-" He held up his hand.

"I'm not hearing any objections. You're our Home-Maker, even if its only for the school year. And I just wanted to give you something to make you feel welcome."

"Oh-ho now," Jinguji-san chuckled. "Are you trying to get a step ahead of us, Otoya?" Otoya's face went as red as his hair.

"I'm not! I'm honestly just trying to be nice!" The others began laughing as Kurusu-kun opened up the pizza box and passed out everyone's lunch.

"Well go on Little Lamb," Jinguji-san encouraged, gesturing to the box in my lap. "He went through the trouble of getting them for you, might as well open them." I sent him a small glare and felt my cheeks get hot as I began opening the paper.

The first present was a pair of pink earbuds with a treble clef on the ends. The second one was a small, white cell phone with a pink cover and a screen protector. The next present was a nice deep pink blanket and the final present was a computer that could allow the screen to be twisted around to turn it into a tablet. When I opened it, Otoya helped me through the set up process.

"I had it come preloaded with this one app that you can use to write music on. You just write the score and then it can play the song for you." I knew I was beaming at that point. I threw my arms around his neck.

"Thank you so much!" I said, still feeling like he had gone too far with just a simple welcoming present. He just smiled that carefree grin of his and laid back on the blanket.

"Here," Ichinose-san said as he handed me back my notebook. "Also, you may want to fix the rhythm a little bit."

"Huh?" I said, opening the notebook and looking over the score. I couldn't find any problems. Ichinose-san moved up next to me and pointed at a phrase.

"Right here. It looks like it's off by about a sixteenth of a beat so you may want to fix that." I nodded.

"I think it just looks like that because I was tapping my pencil on the paper when I was stuck," I explained as I began filling in the notes on the computer. "But thank you, Ichinose-san."

"You know," Otoya said, poking at the Colonel with his foot. "For someone who doesn't like music, you sure know a lot about it."

"I never said I didn't like music. I just don't like what most singers do with their lives, especially my brother. Now please, stop poking me," Ichinose-san said with a slight smile as he smacked Otoya's foot away. His voice sounded a little strained...but only just. Maybe he hadn't slept well or he'd slept on something by accident?

"So...if it weren't for that, would you consider having music as our career?" Otoya asked. Ichinose-san shrugged.

"Maybe." There was something in his voice that drew my attention away from the score and onto him. Something I couldn't quite name but it made my chest hurt a little at the heaviness behind it. His eyes held it too.

He glanced at me and I shot my gaze back to my music and finished transcribing. I could feel his eyes on the back of my head as I worked, that unnamable emotion still making it a little harder to breathe and making my stomach churn with unease.

"Well...anyone want to hear the song so far?" I asked. Everyone raised their hand and I turned it on. For a few minutes, that emotion faded from the atmosphere as Otoya began drumming his fingers on his knee to the beat and humming along when he could.

I laid out on my side and closed my eyes, just letting myself listen to him sing. My skin prickled with goosebumps as that familiar warmth spread through me, making me a little sleepy from waking up so early. I felt a hand comb through my hair gently before another wrapped around my middle and the song ended, pulling me back against a warm chest. I smiled a little, happy to be right where I was.

The next thing I was aware of was dog breath in my face as I was licked. I jerked up with a squeal, making the boys jump a little as well before bursting into laughter. Hinata, the dog who'd been licking me, cocked his head to the side as if he was confused by my reaction. Otoya began laughing behind me.

"Silly boy, that's gross," he playfully scolded as he scratched behind Hinata's ear and I wiped at the dog spit on my face, trying to hold back my laughter.

"Very gross," I agreed as I finished wiping the slobber off. Otoya stretched a little before getting up and walking away a little. Hinata followed eagerly and began jumping at his master when he picked up a stick from the ground and began waving it in his face.

"Go get it boy!" he said as he threw it as hard as he could. Hinata bolted after it and jumped, catching it in his mouth before returning it to his master. "Good boy."

"Where are the other dogs?" I asked.

"Likely relieving themselves somewhere," Kurusu-san said dismissively. "We don't worry too much because they have chips in their collars that track them and there's an invisible fence around the grounds. If a dog tries to cross it, they'll get a shock." I nodded.

"It doesn't hurt them?" I asked. Shinomiya-san shook his head.

"It might hurt them a little but not enough to make us really concerned," Hijirikawa-san said plainly. "Even if it did hurt them, that shock would hurt a lot less than getting hit by a car." I nodded and something landed in my lap. I looked down at a half-wet stick and Hinata was standing in front of me, his little stump of a tail wagging excitedly.

"Want me to throw it for you?" I asked. Hinata's front hit the ground faster than I could blink and his mouth hung open, letting his tongue flop out.

"That's a yes," Otoya called. I picked up the dry end of the stick and stood up. Hinata's paws thumped on the blanket and his tail wagged quickly. I threw it as hard as I could and Hinata bolted, knocking Ichinose-san's arm as he passed. The Colonel grimaced and rubbed at his shoulder.

"Colonel?" I asked. He snapped around to look at me. "Is your shoulder alright?" I asked. He nodded.

"Just a bit stiff is all," he assured, voice still sounding somewhat strained.

"Want me to take a look at it Colonel?" Shinomiya-san asked. Ichinose-san shook his head, still rubbing at the juncture of his neck and shoulder.

"I'm fine. Just need a few days is all."

"Are you sure?" I asked, gently touching his shoulder. He nodded and smiled gently at me.

Out on the grass, Hinata caught his stick and was beginning to make his way back towards me.

"Go over to Otoya before Hinata comes back over here," Ichinose-san said with a light wave. I quickly slipped on my shoes and headed over to Otoya. Hinata dropped his stick at my feet and began jumping around us for someone to throw it. Otoya complied and just before Hinata could grab it, Piyo-chan bolted out of no where and snatched it up in his jaws.

The two dogs began wrestling for it before Hinata snatched it away and bolted back to us. The other dogs came bolting out of the grasses and bushes, right towards Otoya and the stick. The redhead let out a laugh before throwing the stick again, much harder than before so that all the dogs had a chance to chase it.

Sora was the one to get it this time, and as he loomed over the other dogs and his legs were longer, he made it back to Otoya and me with the stick before any of the others had the chance to try snapping it from him. I pet Sora's ears and he leaned into my hand and began moving his head so his cold nose tapped on my arm a few times. Otoya threw the stick again and all but Sora and Dai chased after it. The two instead chose to go and lay beside their owners. Sora butted his head against Ichinose-san's arm until his ears were rubbed before he laid down to rest his head on his master's hip.

After a while the dogs as well as myself got tired of fetch and all of us collapsed on the blanket. Even Hinata and Stiff were too tired to do much aside from insist on a pet from their owners before curling up for a...puppy-nap? Dog-nap? Whatever the term was.

I stretched out and let out a contented sigh. At that moment in time, I felt absolutely at peace. Everything just felt natural and so wonderfully right. For a moment, I forgot about the situation I was in, everything that had lead up to where I was, even the bracelet on my wrist. I never wanted that moment to end. If I could've, I would've stopped time itself, just to hold onto that moment where nothing seemed to matter anymore.

But like all good things, it had to come to an end when Ichinose-san's phone went off.

"Hello?" he said as I sat up and released another sigh, this time more disappointed that the moment had to end. He made a few noises of affirmation as he shut his computer and put it in the backpack. "Alright. Thank you. We'll be there momentarily." He hung up and stood up slowly before stretching out his back. "That was the vet. We can pick up the cat if we want to." I nodded and stood up, brushing out my skirt as I did.

"I'll pick him up. Where do I go?" I asked.

"I'll walk you, if the others don't mind," Ichinose-san said, stating it like an offer, but the way his voice hardened a little at the end, he meant it as an order. The others must've picked up on it too, as they nodded. "Alright then. Sora." The Wolfhound was on his feet in an instant and Ichinose-san and I began to walk back towards the campus' buildings.

We put Sora back in his cage and continued on our way. At first, neither of us said much of anything. I don't know what Ichinose-san was focusing on but by the look in his eye, he was deep in thought. I occupied myself with memorizing the route. We passed the mess hall and followed a path leading to a tall, beige-colored building with only a few windows and a single door on the front.

"Nanami-san." He spoke so suddenly, I couldn't help the gasp of surprise as I jumped.

"Yes sir?!" I squeaked. His eyes widened a little at my reaction and I mentally cursed myself for being such a dork. "Sorry…I just…We were being so quiet and then…Oh, never mind. Yes sir?"

"I was just going to say…Well…The night we met…I snapped at your for mistaking me for HAYATO…And that was not fair of me. So, I wanted to say that I'm sorry for the way I acted that night. I hope…I hope I didn't…scare you or make you feel…unwelcome." I shook my head.

"You-"

"HAYATO is more famous than I am and you're obviously a fan of his. Being his twin is just part of a deal I never signed up for. And I shouldn't have taken it out on you." I smiled at him as gently as I could and nodded.

"Yes sir. Thank you. I accept your apology." He smiled at me.

"Thank you, Nanami-san," he said gently. I felt my smile grow a little before my foot hit something and I toppled forward towards a stone step. My hands flew up to protect my face and I shut my eyes. "Nanami!" Ichinose-san's arm wrapped around my middle and yanked me back. I tried to step back, only to find he'd moved so he was right behind me.

The end result was we both fell back. I hissed a little at the shot of pain that raced up my spine from my bum where I'd landed on Ichinose-san's foot.

Upon realizing what I was sitting on, I all but jumped up to face him.

"Are you alright?" I asked. His teeth were grit and he was pulling in slow breaths through his clenched jaw. After a moment, he gave me a gentle smile but I could tell he was still in some pain.

"Yes. Mostly. You just weigh a little more than I thought you would."

"Rude!" I snapped playfully as I slapped his shoulder gently. He gripped it and chuckled.

"Hey, I'm injured here," he said as he stood up, still chuckling. I rolled my eyes as he walked up the steps and into the building.

Inside, the left side of the first room was dedicated to being a mini-supermarket. A board was set up right in front of a window used for check-out told what floor one could find certain things, like toiletries were on the third floor and food stuffs on the second. I could see massive bags of dog food and even a few tins of cat food on the shelves right next to the board.

The other side was a sitting room for the vet. A kindly woman, probably in her forties, with greying brown hair and warm brown eyes was holding a little green cat carrier where Kupruru was pawing at the cage door and meowing as if to demand for release. The woman smiled at us as we approached.

"Specialty Unit 6, correct?" she asked and I nodded. She handed me the carrier and I couldn't help but open the door so Kupuru could saunter out and into the crook of my elbow. He purred as he rubbed his head on my jacket.

"Was there anything to trace back to his owner?" Ichinose-san asked. For a second, my heart stopped. I knew that Kurpuru likely had an owner but still, the cat had grown on me a little. And he was the first pet I had ever had for my own, even if it had been for a little while. Call me selfish, but I didn't want his owner to come forward at all. I wanted to keep this sweet little ball of soft black fluff with me as long as I could.

"That's the odd thing, sir. We called the local shelters and no one has come forward or called saying they were missing a cat matching this description. The local shelters said they'd post some posters for you so we sent a picture. What's really odd is that based on the quality and design of the collar, it's foreign and must be rather expensive. I don't think someone would've just lost a cat like this without reporting it."

"So are you implying his owner may be deceased?" Ichinose-san asked. I began petting Kupuru and nuzzling the fur on his head.

"I would suspect as much," the woman said sadly. "But perhaps his owner is simply out of town for a while and the cat managed to get away from the house. We asked the shelters to contact us if anyone asks about a cat like this with a collar like this one. For the time being though, do you plan to keep him?"

"Yes ma'am." I bit down on my cheek to keep from squealing.

"Alright then. We'll send the paperwork to your dorm. Thank you very much sir," the woman called as she headed back towards the vet's practice section of the building.

I nuzzled Kupuru's head a little more before lifting my head away. Kupuru stood up on his hind legs and licked at my chin. I couldn't help a small giggle. Ichinose-san reached over and scratched under his chin. Kupuru meowed contentedly and rubbed his head into Ichinose-san's palm.

"He likes you," I noted as the Colonel pulled his hand away.

"Not nearly as much as he likes you," he said gently with a smile to match. "Let's pick up some food and supplies for this little guy before we head back to the dorm. Alright?" I nodded and headed over to the store section and began looking through to food and litter boxes. Ichinose-san helped pick out a couple of bowls and toys for Kupuru before we left for the dorm again. Kupuru was meowing contentedly even when I put him down on the couch. Shinomiya-san was perfectly happy to pet him as a welcome into the family.

Family. I knew the boys were definitely going to become a family together. But me...my future with the boys was entirely dependent on Ichinose-san's requesting me. But if the rest of the school year went as well as today did, I might not have to worry about anything.

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Justie: I love that part! Don't forget to check out my other story and please leave a review here and there! Bye all!


	6. Chapter 6

Justie: I will tell you this much about why I was delayed: Finals and nearly threw up. Done now. Bye.

* * *

It was almost impossible to focus on my cooking lesson. Thankfully we were preparing burgers, something I was familiar with, so I wasn't concerned with any step-by-step on the board on how to prep them.

More of my attention was diverted to any number of imagined problems that could come with my bike-riding lesson that day. I'd heard plenty of the girls from school telling horror stories of biking accidents either they'd been in or members of their family had been in. There had been no end to the number of broken arms, legs and concussion stories that had been whispered, spoken or screamed near me that now were replaying like a broken record in my head. One girl had reported her brother once hit a metal mailbox with his face when his bike flipped.

The thought made me shudder as a chill crept down my spine and I flipped one of the burgers. When the teacher had mentioned the boys were taking a class in the gym and once we were done cooking, we were to take the lunch to them, my first thought had been to make two burgers for each of them, maybe even three in case the class really worked them up an appetite. I made sure to make one for myself but I was still wary of my lesson.

A pair of fingers snapped in front of my face and I jumped and snapped around to see Aika-chan staring at me expectantly.

"Sorry...?" I said.

"What has you so distracted?" Aika-chan asked. I shook my head and flipped over the rest of the burgers a couple times, making sure they were all nice and brown.

"Nothing," I assured. "Just hoping the boys enjoy my cooking." Aika-chan nodded and flipped one of Tomo-chan's burgers. Tomo-chan was taking care of a usual military Unit for now and since Aika-chan would be assigned to a Unit no longer in the Academy, she'd been assigned to help Tomo-chan.

Satisfied with how the burgers looked, I turned off the heat, put the meat in the bread, packed them into plastic bags and those into a large paper bag next to me and then cleaned off my space before pulling off my apron and setting it to the side.

"I'm off!" I called as I left the room, headed for the gym building not too far from the classes.

The gym was far more massive than the auditorium/gym of my high school. I supposed it was meant to, being for almost the entire nation's population of male 12-17 year-olds. The gym itself was two stories tall and was half hardwood and half a trampoline covered by some impact-friendly flooring. There were stands on the third floor for us girls to sit and watch out boys and even sports recruiters for the Specialty Units who selected becoming a sports team.

When I showed up, a few guys were seated on benches outside, holding joints or holding bloodied tissues to their noses. I headed up the stairs and set the bag down on the stands before I went over to the railing and looked down.

White mats were spread over the hardwood part of the gym and the boys were split off in pairs, circling each other in defensive stances on the mats. It was easy to find Otoya, facing off against Hijirikawa-san with Shinomiya-san and Kurusu-kun sitting off to the side. I kept scanning the floor, trying to find Jinguji-san and Ichinose-san.

"Haruka!" I looked back down at Otoya as he smiled and waved at me. I waved back and chuckled a little before his focus returned to his match.

Hijirikawa-san was the first to make a move, likely to take advantage of Otoya's momentary distraction by me. Otoya grabbed his arm and spun so they were back to back. The next part I missed but I guess Hijirikawa-san tripped Otoya because the redhead ended up on his chest on the ground and Hijirikawa-san rolled off of him. Otoya was still smiling brightly and Hijirikawa-san helped him stand up again.

Then the Captain looked at me and gestured for me to come down. I grabbed our lunch and hurried down to the boys.

"May I ask what you all were doing?" I asked as Otoya and Masato grabbed a couple of towels from a rack and wiped at the sweat on their faces.

"Practice moves. Until we figure out what we're doing as a profession, they don't want us losing the abilities we learned in training," Otoya explained. I nodded.

"So, did any of you see the Colonel and Lieutenant Colonel? I tried finding them but I didn't see them."

"They're with the other high-rankers," Kurusu-kun stated as he came up. His bottom lip was swelled a little and I guess my face showed surprise because he glanced away so I couldn't see it as well. "Some lower-ranking punk trying to show me up is all," he said carelessly.

"Mmm," I said with a nod. "Want me to get some ice for it?" I asked. He shook his head.

"It's not as bad as it looks. It'll be gone later." I nodded.

"Want to see how Toki-kun and Ren-kun are doing?" Shinomiya-san asked with his own version of a bright smile.

"Alright," I said. Shinomiya-san put his hands on my shoulders and began pushing me towards a different part of the gym then was hidden under the stands. My best guess was this place was used more for warm-ups and the like while the real gym was used to show off what each Unit had.

We came to a stop in front of a door that looked to be made of thick glass. Inside were a few mats, each with one pair of boys. Hyuuga-sensei was overseeing the class. On one mat was Ichinose-san and Jinguji-san.

"Looks like their match just started," Shinomiya-san commented as the others came up to watch with us.

Jinguji-san took notice of us and gave a two-fingered salute to us. I smiled and waved, catching Ichinose-san's eyes for a second. The Colonel shook his head sharply and returned his attention to Jinguji-san. The Lieutenant Colonel said something and Ichinose-san smirked before charging. Jinguji-san managed to just avoid a punch thrown his way and swung his leg up, catching the Colonel in the side with his leg. I gasped as Ichinose-san backed away, holding his ribs for a second before Jinguji-san charged him as well.

I hid my eyes behind the bag and felt the muscles in my body tighten every time Otoya or Kurusu-kun made a noise of sympathy for one side or another. My toes curled in my shoes and my teeth grit until someone placed their hands over my ears. I looked behind me at Hijirikawa-san, who was whispering something at Otoya and Kurusu-kun before turning and smiling comfortingly at me. I smiled back and chanced a glance into the room, only to hide away when Jinguji-san managed to grab Ichinose-san by the fist and hit him in the gut with his own elbow.

After a few more minutes, Hijirikawa-san removed his hands from my ears and Shinomiya-san opened the door. Jinguji-san and Ichinose-san came out, the Colonel holding a towel to his bleeding nose.

"Well, well, I knew we had an audience," Jinguji-san said with a smirk as he leaned towards me. I noticed his lip was starting to swell and he had a couple red marks on his cheek and near the open collar of his shirt.

"I was wondering where you two were and Shinomiya-san showed me," I said. "I've also got lunch if you all are hungry." Jinguji-san leaned in a little and placed a finger under my chin so I met his gaze.

"Is that an offer of little lamb or..."

"Jinguji," Hijirikawa-san and Ichinose-san snapped. I felt my face turn red.

"It's just a joke," he said with a shrug.

"Well, the nature of your jokes needs to calm down a little," Ichinose-san said as he pulled the towel away and patted his nose with a clean spot a couple of times to make sure the bleeding stopped.

"Sir, yes sir," Jinguji-san said before Ichinose-san looked at me. Bits of blood was smeared under his nose and over his lip.

"We need to shower before we leave. So if you wouldn't mind waiting in the stands."

"Not at all sir," I said with a little salute before marching off. I heard a couple of chuckles behind me before I headed up the stairs.

The boys didn't take too long cleaning up and after a few moments, we were releasing the dogs on the grassy area of the campus and sitting down for lunch.

"Do they taste good?" I asked nervously. "I used a recipe my Gran taught me and I don't know if it's different than what the Academy uses."

"Tastes good to me," Otoya said as he finished off his first burger, licking at his fingertips to get the last crumbs. I handed him a second burger, which he eagerly began devouring.

"Slow down Otoya," Ichinose-san said sternly. He made a noise of surprise and pulled out his cell phone. "Ichinose," he said as he answered. He made a few noises of affirmation as Sora came running up and laid down at his master's feet, attention entirely focused on the half-eaten burger in his master's hand. "Understood. Thank you." He hung up and stood, brushing crumbs off his clothes. "I'll be right back."

"The General?" Jinguji-san asked. Ichinose-san shook his head.

"The post office. Haruka's bike has arrived so I'm going to ick that up. Sora, stay." The dog barked once and laid his head on his paws, now focusing on the burger Shinomiya-san was eating. "I don't know if I'll be hungry when I get back. So just in case save one burger for me, alright?" I nodded and the Colonel left us.

"Jinguji-san?" The lieutenant Colonel regarded me. "Why did you ask Ichinose-san if the General was calling him?"

"Because the General has called him before," Jinguji-san said. "I don't know what they talk about, but usually, the Colonel is in a bad mood when he comes back, so my guess would be it has something to do with his brother." I nodded.

"Do you know who's in charge of the Academy, Nanami-san?" Hijirikawa-san asked. I shook my head.

"The military?" I guessed.

"Well, yes. The entirety of the academy is overseen by a Five-Star General by the name of Shining Saotome. He was in a Specialty Unit himself back in the day but broke off to make his own name in the entertainment industry," the Captain explained.

"So Ichinose-san's brother might strike a nerve with the General?" I asked. Hijirikawa-san shrugged.

"I'm afraid I don't know that much about it. But like Jinguji said, the Colonel usually returns from these meetings in a foul mood and that's when we give him a wide berth."

"Something else that I thought of, you guys have only been a Unit for how long? And yet, you seem to know all this personal information about each other," I pointed out.

"We were given room assignments last year after training ended. We only had to get to know each other a little before we met you," Kurusu-kun said plainly. "So we've been living with each other for only about three months now. So we know what makes each other tick, to a degree. If you're old friends like Hijirikawa and Ren, or Natsuki and me, then we know each other a bit better than Otoya and Tokiya know each other." My eyes widened as I looked between Jinguji-san, Hijirikawa-san, Shinomiya-san and Kurusu-kun.

"You're old friends?" I asked. Hijirikawa-san nodded.

"Mostly business reasons," the Captain said with finality as he finished his burger and whistled. Satoru burst from the bushes and sat at attention by his master. The Captain scratched at the dog's ear and then the Pincher laid down and rubbed his muzzle on the leg of Hijirikawa-san's pants.

"Syo-chan and I met at viola contests when we were younger. Right, Syo-chan?" Shinomiya-san said, his cheerful, happy grin in place as Piyo-chan came up and began rubbing his head into his master's chest, demanding attention.

"Don't remind me..." Kurusu-kun groaned, looking a little green in the face as he leaned over Dai's side and hid behind the dog's head. Stiff moved from Jinguji-san and licked at my cheek before sniffing at the bag that still had a few burgers.

"Oh no you don't," I scolded as I moved the bag away from the dog and pushed him back. He put a paw on my leg and whined, his big, round brown eyes looking up at me heartbrokenly. My resolve threatened to shatter at that second. "Jinguji-san, please make him stop looking at me like that," I begged. Stiff whined again and set his head on my leg and I refused to look down, knowing that kicked-puppy-dog look was waiting for me if I did.

Jinguji-san laughed behind me and I had half a mind to snap at him but I knew I'd catch sight of Stiff's eyes out of the corner of my own if I did.

"Come on, give me a break," I groaned, keeping my eyes covered.

"Stiff, here boy." Stiff's weight left my leg and I heard his tags clitter-clatter against his collar as Jinguji-san scratched around his neck, making the orange collar shake. "Stop giving the Little Lamb a hard time. I know you ate breakfast this morning." I dared to look back to see Stiff roll onto his back between Jinguji-san's legs and the Lieutenant Colonel scratched his dog's stomach before giving it a few firm pats. I almost giggled at seeing the German Shepherd's stomach actually jiggle a little with fat. "Yea, you eat too much already, don't ya boy?"

I looked up at Jinguji-san and realized that this was the first time I'd probably seen him legitimately smile like he was having fun. His eyes were twinkling and there was a sort of taste to the air now, that reminded me of one time when I had volunteered at a daycare center over Christmas break and had been put in charge of watching the kids play in the front lawn until their families came for them. Somehow, Jinguji-san reminded me of those little boys from that time, just happy and really enjoying the time he was spending with someone he shared a real bond with.

Sora came over and laid down on my leg, bumping my hand with his hand as a signal to pet him. I scratched behind his ear and he rolled onto his stomach, rubbing the back of his head on my skirt. I reached over and scratched at his stomach, watching as his leg began to kick.

"You're good with dogs Haruka," Otoya commented. "Did you ever have one?" I shook my head.

"I wanted one, yea. But it was just Gran and me. And Gran had a hard enough time moving around, never mind caring for someone. And since I was only seven when I first brought it up, she said we'd wait until I was older and see if I was ready. But then...you know," I said with a shrug. "I just became more focused on music than wanting a dog."

"Oh," Otoya said, sounding disheartened. I looked over at him and smiled warmly.

"Don't worry, alright? Once I get my life settled, I might try figuring something out. Who knows, I might just keep Kupuru and see how that goes." The air got heavy in an instant and I realized I'd said something wrong. I wanted to slap myself, but I made a mental note instead, telling myself not to bring up the fact I was only temporary. These boys hadn't had anything be certain since they were twelve and I wasn't helping with constantly bringing up our arrangement was temporary unless something happened.

"Yet, Kupuru is under the stewardship of Specialty Unit 6, isn't he?" Jinguji-san asked slyly. "So are you thinking of being settled with us?"

"Maybe," I said. "After all, I already like this Unit and what's better than living with people you already know you get along with?"

"I'll make sure Ichinose-san knows that then," Hijirikawa-san said.

"That I know what?" I almost jumped in surprise at the sound of the Colonel's voice. Once over the initial shock, I burst into giggles that Otoya and Shinomiya-san joined in.

"The Little Lamb likes our Unit and thinks it's best to live with people you already know you can get along with," Jinguji-san reported as he looked back. "Is that her bike?" I looked back to see Ichinose-san walking a white bike over towards us. The handlebars were a pale pink color and the two wires leading to the wheels were a darker shade. A box sat, precariously balanced, on the seat.

"Yes, it is. I've also got some protective gear in here," Ichinose-san said as he patted the box. He looked over at me and smiled gently. "What do you say, Nanami-san? Ready to learn how to ride a bike?"

My stomach felt like a million butterflies had swarmed from their cocoons and were now desperately trying to escape their prison known as my gut. I took a deep breath and stood up, brushing off some dog hair and crumbs from my clothes and nodded. All I could really do was hope this was easier than I thought and that I didn't break any bones.

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Justie: YAY! It's done! Holy smokes you guys! I am tired. Now, I may or may not try updating this again before Christmas, but if I don't Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, Happy Kwanza, whatever you celebrate, Happy Holidays to everyone and a Happy New Year. I love you guys!


	7. Chapter 7

Justie: Ahh, Christmas and New Years are now behind me. And soon, my stress levels will rise exponentially. But to try and de-stress, let's enjoy a nice bike ride with Haruka and the boys, shall we?

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The helmet felt awkward at best.

That was the first thing I noticed with the equipment as Hijirikawa-san and Otoya strapped and snapped it into place while Jinguji-san and Ichinose-san both checked over the bike to make sure there was nothing wrong with it. But my helmet felt odd on my head and the straps felt tight under my chin. I knew they had to be but it was still uncomfortable.

"Does that feel alright?" Hijirikawa-san asked, as he finished strapping on the pads on my knees.

"I think so," I said as Jinguji-san came over and offered me a hand up. He helped me get settled on the seat and Ichinose-san adjusted it so I could touch my toes to the ground. Had the dogs not been put away for the lesson, I would've been nervous about hitting one.

"Alright, that looks like it'll work," he said as he stood up and I sat down on the seat. Jinguji-san helped me stay upright as I put my feet on the pedals and reached my fingers out to hold onto the brakes.

"So this one is for the back wheel, this one is for the front wheel, alright?" I nodded as he squeezed the brakes to identify them. "Then the only trick is keeping your balance, alright?" I nodded and took a deep breath.

"Haru-chan, look over here," Shinomiya-san called. I looked up and the lanky Lieutenant was holding up a small video camera with a red light flashing and the lens focused right at me. I smiled and waved and Jinguji-san chuckled behind me. "This is Specialty Unit 6, teaching our Home-Maker, Nanami Haruka-san, to ride a bike for the first time," he announced. I couldn't help a giggle that escaped before I shifted in the seat, trying to stay comfortable.

"Whenever you're ready," Ichinose-san called as he stepped back. I nodded again and took a deep breath.

"You want to know something good?" Jinguji-san whispered in my ear. I swallowed down a squeak but I couldn't stop my muscles from stiffening at the low tone he was using and the feel of air brushing past my ear. "Once you've learned to ride a bike, you never really forget." With that, I felt a push from behind and I sped towards a slight incline. The bike began to speed up. I squeezed the handlebars tightly.

My vision turned to flashes of green and blue and my first instinct was to curl into a ball and close my eyes as tightly as I could until the feeling of my stomach and my heart being lodged in my throat left and my body remained still.

"Haruka!" I heard someone yell and I slowly uncurled myself. My arms were shaking and my hands felt numb as a warm hand gently touched my back. I turned around to see Otoya looking at me, his eyes darkened with worry as he looked over the parts of me not covered with padding.

"Is she alright?!" Ichinose-san asked as he came running up and knelt down beside us.

"I...I think so..." I heaved, trying to still my arms, which only served to make them shake even more. Otoya looked down at my hands, then up at my face. For some reason, I couldn't help but burst into laughter that had me rolling onto my back so I couldn't see Otoya or Ichinose-san's reactions to my outburst. "I'm sorry! I-I just.. I don't-" My giggles kept interrupting me and it took a moment for me to be able to sit up again. Both boys were smiling at me, relieved.

"She's not hurt, is she?" Hijirikawa-san asked.

"No! I just got a little nervous!" I called, pushing back my helmet a bit so it was situated more comfortably and giggled a little more. "I'm fine!"

"Do you want to try again?" Ichinose-san asked. I nodded and Otoya pulled me to my feet as Ichinose-san went to retrieve my bike. In no time, I was back on the seat and the camera was recording again. Jinguji-san was helping me again but this time, he ran beside me, holding me up until I got the hang of it. The lesson lasted a couple of hours and I couldn't help but burst into gleeful laughter every now and again. I fell a few more times while riding but it was never anything serious. I learned how to jump a little and how to pop a "wheelie" as Kurusu-kun called it.

It was mid-afternoon when Ichinose-san said we had enough footage. I slipped off the bike and had to grab onto Shinomiya-san to help me sit down as my knees felt like jelly. Once I sat down, everything from my toes to my knees got that odd pins-and-needles feeling and a rush of cold then hot passed through me. I felt a slight crick in my back and the straps from the helmet were still rubbing on my jaw uncomfortably.

"Feeling alright after that?" Otoya asked as he sat down beside me, ignoring the others as they packed away everything we'd brought, Hijirikawa-san helping me take off my padding and helmet before walking away to put it back in the box.

"Yea, mostly," I said, rubbing my legs to try to get the feeling back in them. "I can't feel below my knees." Otoya grimaced but chuckled a little.

Suddenly, a loud siren wailed through the campus and everyone froze in what they were doing.

"What is that?" I asked. Otoya stood up and offered me his hand. I took it and felt him pull me up but the second I was on my feet, a spark of pain shot through my legs, making my knees stiffen and I knew it would be hard to walk.

"That siren means someone is on campus who shouldn't be. Sometimes it's just a drill but sometimes it's real. Can you walk?" Otoya asked. I shook my head. Otoya nodded and turned towards Ichinose-san. "Tokiya! She says her legs are numb and she can't walk!" Ichinose-san nodded.

"Then take her back to the room and stay with her!" he called. Otoya nodded and bent down so his back was facing me and pulled me over him. HIs hands gripped under my knees and I felt him begin to move. Half-panicked, I wrapped my arms around his front and tried to avoid his neck so I wouldn't strangle him. Before I could say anything, he took off towards the dorms, leaving the others behind.

Once we made it back to the dorm, he set me down on his bed and moved to his closet and began pushing against it.

"Otoya?" I asked. He grunted in response. "Um...what's going on?" I asked.

"Well...the military has these drills randomly to see how well we react to surprise situations. That siren means someone is on campus who shouldn't be. And the military doesn't start letting us use a gun until we turn 15 so those 14 and under go back to their room and hide in a safe room that's been shown to them. Most of the time it's just a member of staff, but sometimes it's a real threat. So those of us who are 15 or older are supposed to report to the gym where they'll give us paintball guns and armor like what we'd actually use in a military situation and we're supposed to track down the person on campus. The paint apparently has trackers in it that activate upon being fired from the gun. Once the target has been found, campus security will come in and take over the situation. But since you couldn't walk, I'll be staying with you for now." With a massive shove, Otoya pushed the wardrobe to the side, revealing plain flooring underneath.

"Um..." Otoya smirked and stuck his finger into a knot in the wood and pulled up a small door.

"Here we go," he said as he came over to me and helped me back to my feet. The tips of my toes still hurt but otherwise, I was fine to move on my own. Otoya climbed down a small ladder and then sat down, covering his eyes and looking away so I could climb down too.

Once we were in, Otoya climbed back up and closed the hatch. The space was barely large enough for two people so Otoya had to sit right behind me so we could both fit. There were some lights installed in the edges of the floor and wall so we could see. I could swear I still heard the siren outside and curled a little into myself.

"Haruka..." He wrapped his arms around me and I couldn't help but lean back into his warm chest. "You know...before I was selected for the Specialty Units...I was making up some songs. I remember one if you want to hear it." I thought for a second and nodded. Music had always managed to calm me down. He started humming softly. From the first few bars, I could tell this was going to be upbeat and it could easily cheer up anyone's day.

"It's a dazzling Shining day! Running late and nearly missing the last train. Like a heart frozen in three seconds." I closed my eyes and listened to him. "With these vivid Searching eyes, what are these feelings? So that my throbbing heart won't be exposed…Each distance is like one fret from a guitar, with a tuning smile, are the preparations good? Are you ready!?" He began tapping his foot to the best and moving his body like he could imagine himself on stage singing this song. "Trust myself! Let's join hands! Trust your dream, a world for just us two! The greatest ride! The signal's all blue! Trust my song! Don't be afraid! The sky is endless! My heart's a rave! Hey, let's go on a continuous sound! Come on, become the resounding wind!" He returned to humming for a little bit, his hands moving on his pants like he was strumming a guitar. "Why is it? In the missing time, you might become tense and angry, if that time comes, please remember the song that brought us together! The tensing destiny, is this impulse fate? I fell in love after one measure! The truth is, I want to treasure you even more, but I still can't control the volume of this awkward love..." He threw his head back. "But I love you!" I felt my face heat up on that last lyric. Sure, he probably was just wrapped up in the song but still.

"Believe myself! Let's kiss! Believe my dream! Look into my eyes! This love of overflowing so much! Believe your song! Hey, listen! Feel the beat of my heart! On the Stage of dreams. Hey, let's fly over the rainbow! Come on, come along with me! I'll swear here! To surely become a melody just for you, I will try to believe! Let's go towards a miracle just for two! Are you ready!?" This time I took a deep breath and turned around to face him. I was going to sing with him.

"Trust yourself! Let's join hands! Trust our dream, a world for just us two! The greatest ride! The signal's all blue! Trust our song! Don't be afraid! The sky is endless! My heart's a Rave! Hey, let's go on a continuous sound! Come on, become the resounding wind!" Once the lyric finished, Otoya threw his arms around me and stood up laughing before spinning us around in the small space. I squealed and latched onto his shoulders.

"Haruka, that was fantastic!" he cheered, shifting his grip so he held me at the waist and held me up above his head.

"Aren't we being a little loud?" I asked, realizing that he'd begun singing rather loudly when the subject changed directly to love in the song. Otoya shook his head and set me down before knocking on the wall.

"Soundproof so they can't hear us in here. But you were great on the last chorus, did you like it?" I nodded, hoping the lights weren't showing off how red I knew my cheeks had to be. If he saw it, he didn't show it. He just kept smiling and we sat back down. "You know what, when we finish our assignment for Home-Ec, we should record some more songs. I know the Colonel doesn't want us to take music as a career but it can still be a hobby." I nodded again.

"I'd love to sing more songs with you, Otoya," I said. He hugged me tighter and for a while, we sat in comfortable, sweet silence, simply enjoying each other's company.

Then the door began to rattle and Otoya stood up. The door opened and Ichinose-san looked down at us with a slight smile.

"Just a drill. You can come out now," he announced. Otoya put a hand on my shoulder.

"Tokiya, one of these days, you've got to hear Haruka sing!" The alone made the smile on Ichinose-san's face vanish.

"You're supposed to be quiet down there, even if the walls are soundproof. It's a safety risk. You know this Lieutenant. Nanami-san, please come out of there." I got up and brushed off my skirt before climbing up the ladder. Ichinose-san offered me a hand and helped me out. "This once, I will not hold anything against you as you didn't know. But next time, you're mean to be silent even if it is just a drill." I nodded.

"Sir, yes sir," I said and Ichinose-san let go of me. I stepped into the living room where the others were seated with Hijirikawa-san talking to Kurusu-kun about something. THe second I shut the door, Jinguji-san was looking at me with that flirty smirk of his.

"Yo Little Lamb. Otoya didn't do anything in that tight space did he?"

"Jinguji," Hijirikawa snapped as my face went red at his implications.

"Nothing like that happened!" I yelled, louder than I'd intended, but I couldn't help it. Jinguji-san really was going a little out of control with these suggestive ideas of his. And to top it off, right after I finished yelling, he smirked, let out a chuckle and turned away arrogantly. I felt my fists clench at my sides and for the first time in my life, I wanted to hit something.

"Ren, what have we told you about your jokes?" Ichinose-san said as he appeared beside me. Jinguji-san shrugged a shoulder.

"We all were thinking it. After all, a young man and an attractive little lady, alone, in a soundproof place that happens to be force them into close contact, anything can happen."

"And anything can happen to you if you continue with those vulgar jokes of yours," Hijirikawa-san snapped. "I apologize for him. I honestly have no idea what is wrong with him half the time." I shook my head, partially annoyed that Jinguji-san was making Hijirikawa-san apologize for him. Jinguji-san was the second-in-command of Specialty Unit 6, he should act more like it.

"Jinguji-san's jokes aside, I'm glad it was just a drill and nothing serious happened." The boys smiled at me and Kupuru hopped onto Hijirikawa-san's leg, meowing and purring as he rubbed his head on the Captain's arm, earning himself a pet.

"We are as well," Ichinose-san said with a gentle smile. "Now then, I'm going to get started on making that video from earlier into a DVD. While I do that, why don't you all think about something we can do together tonight?" I nodded and moved to sit down beside Hijirikawa-san on the couch. Otoya leapt over the back and settled next to me, wrapping an arm around my shoulders.

"You guys have got to hear Haruka sing! She's amazing!" he cheered. I instantly went red again and my hands shot to cover my face.

"Otoya...don't say it like that...I can sing, yes but I'm not amazing," I said. Everyone stared at me with wide eyes and I felt my face burn even more.

"I think the Little Lamb's warming up to the idea of being stuck with us," Jinguji-san prodded teasingly. "Already calling Otoya by his given name and all."

"Jinguji, you're making her uncomfortable," Hijirikawa-san snapped as I hid even more behind my hands. I wasn't embarrassed that I'd called Otoya by his given name in front of everyone. I was more embarrassed that I didn't feel comfortable enough with everyone else to do the same for them. I wanted to. I wanted to be able to call Jinguji-san Ren and say he was a nice person, to call Kurusu-kun Syo and know more about him, all of them. And I especially wanted to call Ichinose-san Tokiya and if he really was HAYATO-san's brother, to be able to see a difference even if they were standing side-by-side perfectly still, not saying a word. I wanted to know each of them individually.

Right then and there, I decided I would. I was going to ask more questions about them and try to find more answers on my own. I wanted to be a part of this Unit. There was something here that made me want to stay, more than anything.

* * *

Justie: I'M ALIVE! Yes! I am never giving up on this story! I love you guys. Please review! Bye!


	8. Chapter 8

**Justie: Well...I have no real excuse for not updating. Aside from about thirty different story ideas happening in my brain. Please leave a review to show you don't hate me!**

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I don't even remember falling asleep that night. But I do remember waking up, still in my clothes from yesterday, my computer up in front of me and I wasn't even tucked under my blankets. I groaned.

This was an occasional occurrence for me. I'd be so caught up in what I was doing, I'd fall asleep doing it. It was annoying and when it happened on the couch, I'd get a horrible crick in my neck. But aside from that, it wasn't anything more than an annoyance. Why it was happening more at the Academy I had no idea, because this made the second time in a week I'd fallen asleep doing something.

I noticed that Tomo-chan and Aika-chan were still sound asleep in their beds so I quickly got dressed and collected my things before making my way to the boys' room. It was only around 6 in the morning and my schedule was free of classes for the day. I didn't know if the boys were but I figured it would be a little easier to do my music work on the couch there and not wake anyone as opposed to in my room.

I peeked into the room and sighed in slight relief when I saw the living room empty. I turned on a lamp and sat down on the couch, making sure to plug in my earbuds before continuing what I was doing earlier with writing Otoya's song.

I only managed to finish a few bars before one of my earbuds was pulled from my ear.

"Good morning." I snapped around, surprised by the suddenness but upon seeing Ichinose-san right behind me in a pair of slightly baggy pants, a white shirt and a dark jacket. I calmed down a little and giggled some.

"Good morning Ichinose-san. Going out?"

"Something like that. But I'm glad you're here Nanami-san," he said as he leaned down to rest his forearms on the beck of the couch.

"Oh?" I asked, pulling out my other earbud and setting the computer on the couch.

"I have a meeting with the General today so I'm afraid I won't be able to be around much today. If you could tell Hijirikawa and the others, I'd appreciate it." I nodded.

"Want me to make you anything for breakfast? It's not good to start the day on an empty stomach. I could even put it in something so you can eat it after your run," I suggested. Ichinose-san smiled but shook his head.

"I appreciate the thought. But I already had some fruits for breakfast. And I'll be having lunch and dinner while I'm out," he said before heading to the door.

"Wait a moment." He froze in his tracks and looked back at me. "You said you ate some fruits. What exactly did you eat?"

"Some grapes and an apple." I blinked. Once. Twice. Three times.

"Excuse me? Please tell me I misheard you but I could've sworn it sounded like you said only some grapes and an apple."

"Yes that's what I've eaten. Why?" Ichinose-san asked. I slapped my forehead. "What?"

"How long do you have until you absolutely have to be out of here?" I asked, getting up.

"Five minutes? Maybe? Why?"

"Because apples and grapes does not qualify as a breakfast. Its a snack. So pardon me," I said as I went up and grabbed his wrist before dragging him to the kitchen. "But I'm gonna show you a breakfast you can make and eat in five minutes or less." Ichinose-san gave me an odd look but I just shrugged it off. In my cooking class we had been told that we wouldn't actually be expected to make full meals for the boys until a little later and he knew that. But it was still my job to be a Home-Maker, which included making sure the boys in my unit ate proper meals.

Once we were in the kitchen, I turned on the light as I let go of Ichinose-san's wrist and got to work.

The kitchen was full of new stainless-steel appliances. There were dark brown cupboards lining the wall the door was on and an island in the middle of the room with the same cupboards. The counters were granite and a white cutting board was set right next to the stovetop. The far wall was pure glass, revealing a beautiful view of the forest and the still-dark morning.

Ichinose-san watched me from the door as I quickly grabbed a bowl and a plate and set them aside. I grabbed some bread from a little silver breadbox and popped it into the toaster before grabbing some applesauce from the fully-stocked fridge and a carton of milk. I then grabbed a cup, knife and some peanut butter from their respective places and set the plate, knife and peanut butter by the toaster. I poured the milk into the glass and some applesauce into the bowl before the toaster popped the bread back up. I quickly slapped on the peanut butter and set the plate on the counter before turning back around and grabbing a spoon to stick in the applesauce. Then I checked the clock.

"There. Literally took a minute, minute and a half to do that. And it shouldn't take too long to eat either." Ichinose-san sighed and shook his head.

"This was hardly necessary."

"What's hardly necessary is you passing out because you can't bother to eat a proper breakfast," I snapped. Ichinose-san sighed and stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"There's no way out of this is there?"

"Nope," I said, popping the end of the word. Ichinose-san sat down, put the two pieces of toast together and began eating them. I turned back around and began rummaging through the refrigerator to find some eggs to prepare for the breakfast of the other boys. "Listen. If you need me to wake up earlier on certain mornings, just tell me. I know it was a bit of a shock learning I can't read sheet music but I'm not inept. My Gran taught me piano, as well as how to cook and take care of myself. So I should be able to take care of the six of you. That's why I'm here, it's my job. Okay?" Ichinose-san nodded as he finished his food.

"Alright. I understand. Thank you." I nodded and returned to my little search for a pan to cook the eggs in. I'd seen a little package of bacon in the fridge that would go well with the eggs and provide a non-stick surface for the eggs. Plus, it would make the eggs super tasty. I heard Ichinose-san getting up and putting his dishes in the sink. "I'll see you tonight."

"Have a good day and be safe," I said as he left the room. I saw him smile at me out of the corner of my eye and I smiled back.

"Oh. If you're looking for stuff to cook eggs, the pans are in the cupboard next to the stove."

"Thank you!" I called as he slipped out the door. I pulled out the bacon package and turned on the stove. As the pan heated up, I cleaned up Ichinose-san's dishes and pulled out a couple plates for the food I was cooking. Once the pan was hot enough, I put the bacon in and covered it with a mesh lid. As it sizzled, I looked around the kitchen some more just to see what was available. Once I found the flour, I got the idea to make some biscuits but first, I would need an apron so none of the bacon grease would get all over my clothes, not to mention the flour for the biscuits. The first one I found was pink and frilly and made me wonder who it belonged to but I put it on anyway and began making the biscuits.

Once the bacon was done, I slipped it into the microwave to keep it warm and poured the excess grease into a bowl to save for later and started on making the eggs. Just as I poured the eggs into the pan, a pair of arms slipped around my middle and a chin rested on my shoulder.

"Something smells delectable," a deep voice purred into my ear. I jumped slightly before sighing.

"Jinguji-san!" I sighed. "Please don't scare me while I'm cooking!"

"My apologies, Little Lamb. I couldn't help myself," he teased. I could feel his cheek against my neck as he smirked. Heck, I could hear it in his voice. HIs arms wrapped a little tighter around my waist and I sighed.

"Can you please let go of me?" I asked. I half-expected him to ignore my request. Surprisingly though, he backed up but kept his hands laced together over my stomach. Then I felt another hand on my shoulder and turned to see Hijirikawa-san with his other hand on Jinguji-san's shoulder. He sent a hard look to the ginger-haired Lieutenant Colonel before looking at me with a gentle smile.

"Good morning Nanami-san."

"Good morning Hijirikawa-san," I replied as Jinguji-san released me. Hijirikawa-san looked at the pan and then at the timer for the biscuits.

"What's all this?" he asked.

"Well...Ichinose-san didn't eat a proper breakfast so I made him something real quick and then I figured I might as well make breakfast for the rest of you while I was in here."

"Thank you. Although you didn't need to.

"I wanted to," I said. "It is my job now to look after you six. Aside from that, my schedule is completely clear today. So I thought it would be best to be proactive today."

"In that case, wouldn't it be best to spend your time practicing what you've learned about reading sheet music?" Hijirikawa-san suggested. I bit my lip. He had a point.

"True. But I can and should also practice my job."

"Let her be, Hijirikawa," Jinguji-san said from the island where he'd seated himself. "It the first day she has off since she arrived. Aside from that, we've been dragging her out to the field with the dogs every afternoon. If we were really so concerned with how much she's practicing reading music, we would've insisted she go to the practice rooms at least once already." Hijirikawa-san sent Jinguji-san a stern glare. "Aside from that, she's got that computer Otoya gave her so that should help."

"While I'm not disagreeing with you Lieutenant Colonel, she should still practice on an actual piano." The timer for the biscuits went off and I quickly pulled them out of the oven.

"Breakfast is ready," I announced, setting the tray off to the side before plating the eggs and turning off the oven and stove. In all honesty, I wanted to change the subject before the two got after each other. "Also, another thing. Who's apron is this? I found it while I was going through everything and was just curious."

"Shinomiya," the two said at the same time.

"Ah," I said as I set the food out on the island and returned to the cupboards to get glasses, silverware and plates for everyone.

"Something smells really good in here," Otoya yawned as he came into the room.

"That would be our Little Lamb's cooking, Otoya," Jinguji-san said. Otoya's sleep-filled eyes widened some as he looked over the island's top.

"Haruka...you made all this yourself?" Otoya asked, looking at me. I nodded as he looked me over, his cheeks starting to turn the color of his hair.

"What is it?"

"Nothing much. It's just...that apron really suits you," he said slowly. I brushed my hands over it, feeling a warmth coming to my cheeks.

"You think so?" I asked, partially praying my cheeks weren't as red as I thought. Shinomiya-san came into the room and gave me one look before his cheeks went red and he bolted forward, throwing his arms around me with a happy cry. He lifted me straight up and twisted and turned so my feet were flying around the kitchen.

"Haru-chan looks so cute!" he cheered. He continued to repeat that phrase or something similar to it, but his squeezing was making the blood roar in my head and it was a tad difficult to breathe.

"Umm...Uhh...Shinomiya-san," I gasped.

"Oi! Natsuki! Put her down already! She can't breathe!" Kurusu-kun shouted, bursting into the room. Almost immediately, I was set down on the floor and Shinomiya-san's arms withdrew from my person.

"Sorry Haru-chan, it's just that you look so cute I couldn't help myself!" Shinomiya-san cried as he hugged me again, albeit more gently this time so I could breathe and he didn't pick me up again, but he did twist and turn some.

"I'm glad you think so, Shinomiya-san. Breakfast is ready if you want some," I said, trying to get his attention off of me. The twisting and turning was starting to make me dizzy.

Thankfully he let go and we all sat around the island together to eat.

"Haru-chan, did your Gran teach you to cook like this?" Shinomiya-san asked as he bit into his biscuit.

"Yes, she did. She taught me almost everything I know. Well...as far as cooking, cleaning, handicrafts and music go," I said with a smile before finishing my personal breakfast preparations. Whenever I had scrambled eggs and biscuits, I always made them into a sandwich. It was quicker to eat and, in my opinion, cleaner.

"Handicrafts? How so?" Hijirikawa-san asked.

"Just handicrafts. Sewing, needlepoint, knitting, crochet, quilting, anything we had time to learn and enjoyed doing really," I said with a shrug.

"I see." Hijirikawa went back to his breakfast.

The meal continued on like that. Someone would bring up something, we'd talk about it for a few moments, then move on to another topic. It kind of reminded me of how Gran and I used to eat dinner. We'd bring up whatever needed to be discussed from the day, then talk about whatever tidbits came to mind. To me, it was nice to see that little tradition I'd had with Gran come over so easily to my new life as a Home-Maker.

After breakfast was done, the dishes cleaned and the laundry started, I sat back down to work on the music assignment in the living room. Kurusu-kun came out of his room a few moments later and plopped down in one of the chairs, kicking his feet over the arm so he could use his lap as a desk of sorts and began tapping his pencil on his chin.

He got into a kind of pattern where he'd tap his chin, scribble down something, tap for a while, scribble, chew on the tip of his pencil then hold his pencil between his teeth as he crumpled up the paper and threw it into a wastepaper basket not far from where I was sitting.

A part of me thought I should say something but I swallowed down the urge. Kurusu-kun was a fully competent young man. Surely he knew better than to attempt swallowing the eraser if his chewing succeeded in removing it from his pencil, metal bit and all. So, with a shake to the head and a tiny bounce, my fingers were back on my keys and typing away. That is, until one of Kurusu-kun's paper balls bounced off my head, hit my screen and landed right in between my hands on the keyboard.

I blinked once, twice, three times before making a noise of confusion then one of understanding as I looked up at a sheepish-looking blonde.

"Sorry, used my non-dominant hand," he said, waving his left hand around.

"It's fine," I said as I picked up the crumpled paper. "What exactly is this, if I may ask?"

"An assignment for music class. Ren and the Colonel have the same one so you may see them doing this too," he said as he returned to his work.

"Mind if I look at it?"

"Go ahead." I carefully unfolded the page, revealing lines of words. No... _lyrics._

"Walls towering higher and higher...with cliffs on either side...trembling with fright that the path will end...These are pretty good," I said with a smile. Kurusu-kun raised an eyebrow at me as if he thought I was absolutely out of my mind. "Um...Sorry. Did you not want me to read it aloud?"

"No...but you think those are actually good?" I looked over the rest. Some of the lines looked better than others. But some of them were good.

"Most of them are," I said with a shrug as I set my computer aside. I sat down next to him and held up the paper so he could see me point out what I intended. "Like this line here. I like it better than the one with the swaying rope bridge honestly." Kurusu-kun nodded.

"Yea. I want to make a kinda...I don't know...Adventure show theme song kinda thing, ya know?" I nodded.

"So I gathered," I said gently, trying to not offend him. "But I think you may be trying a bit too hard with some of these."

"Yea that's what I thought too," he agreed. I handed the paper back to him.

"Maybe try adding something else to the theme. Don't most adventure movies have a girl the hero is supposed to fall for? Maybe try adding something like that in. But over all, they're pretty good." Kurusu-kun took the paper back and began crossing out a couple of lines and scribbling in new ones. I returned to my spot on the couch and was right back to work for a little bit.

"Haru-chan!" Shinomiya-san cheered as he came up behind me and wrapped his arms around me. I let out a tiny squeak in surprise but smiled.

"Yes Shinomiya-san?" I asked.

"Do you have any plans today?" he asked.

"Just doing a little work around here, my music assignment, but otherwise no. You?" The lanky lieutenant shook his head.

"None at all. I was thinking that if you wanted to maybe we could try making something to eat for later." I heard Kurusu-kun make some sort of noise that sounded like a strangled gasp and the urge to vomit at the same time.

"That sounds like fun. How about we check the kitchen and make a list of what we have and don't have. But since we're also going to need to make lunch and dinner, if we're not making either of those, we should try something simple. Sound good?" Shinomiya-san nodded. I closed the lid on my computer and we walked into the kitchen together. I sent Shinomiya-san to ask the others what they'd want to eat so we could try making it...so long as they gave general ideas of something to eat and not specifics.

There was a few packages of food in the freezer, mostly vegetables but there was also a package of ground beef and hot dogs. The refrigerator had a couple apples, some fresh vegetables, cheese, milk, a couple juices and bottles of water and some yogurt. The cupboards had flour, some ketchup and mustard, cooking oils and sugars and some spices. I closed the cupboard door and began trying to think of something.

Shinomiya-san came back in with a bright smile.

"Everyone said they don't mind whatever gets made. But Masa-kun got a text from Toki-kun. We're being ordered to bring the dogs here so they get used to a more domestic lifestyle so we'll need to feed them too." I nodded.

"Alright then...so I have a couple ideas for what we can make. How does shepherd's pie sound for lunch and chicken soup for dinner? My Gran also taught me this amazing recipe for making watermelon into some cute shapes for treats if you want to try that."

"That sounds good to me! What will we need?" I started ducking into the cupboards under the counter, looking through the available appliances and cooking trays, pots and pans.

"We'll need to pick up some trays for shapes, watermelon, chicken and some beef and chicken base. Actually, is there a pad of paper around here somewhere?" I asked as I plugged half the sink and ran some hot water before adding in the package of ground beef so it could defrost. Shinomiya-san reached into a drawer and pulled out a small stationary pad and pen before handing them to me. I scribbled out the recipes on one sheet then tore it off and began listing the ingredients we'd need, crossing off the few that were in the kitchen already. On the third and final sheet, I wrote out the completed list of what we'd need and tore it off with a bright smile.

"All set?" he asked. I nodded, showing him my list. He smiled at me before offering his arm. I wrapped my arm around his and let him lead me out of the room.

"We'll be back in a little bit!" I called as we slipped on our shoes and left. We headed up towards the on-campus store with Shinomiya-san looking like Christmas had come early. Once we were a good distance from the form, I told him part of my own little secret plan, to make some food that the dogs would be able to eat as well, to which he looked ecstatic about.

I was planning on not only making chicken soup for people, but also to put on top of the dogs' food to give it a little something special. One of Gran's renters had once had a dog and from time to time, they'd come by to let me play with her. Any dog-related questions, they were willing to answer, from puppy litter sizes to how big a collar should be or how to train one to do tricks and even what they could or couldn't eat. Some things they could eat in moderation but there were some things that should never be put in a dog's reach whatsoever. But before their lease was up, they'd given me an entire book of homemade recipes that would be safe for both people and dogs to eat as well as a few recipes just for dogs. It made me a little sad that the book was sitting on my bookshelf in my bedroom back at Gran's house but Shinomiya-san's bright smile made me put that thought in the back of my mind and focus on the here and now.

When Shinomiya-san and I arrived at the store, we made sure to ask the lady behind the counter where exactly we'd find everything so we wouldn't spend hours looking through every floor. Shinomiya-san managed to find some silicone trays in the shape of fruits, hearts, stars and to both our joy, music notes. I grabbed one more in the shape of dog bones before we went off to get the food.

By the time we got back, all the dogs were in the boys' room. Stiff and Piyo-chan came up and sniffed at our bags before Stiff decided he wanted to jump up at us. Jinguji-san came up and reigned in the German Shepherd, allowing us to go back to the kitchen. Sora and Piyo-chan followed us into the room and walked around the island as Shinomiya-san and I began pulling out the other things we hadn't grabbed at the store. Once everything was out and sorted into three groups, one for each thing we were making, Shinomiya-san grabbed a couple of aprons and we got to work.

The first thing we did was preheat the oven to 400 and get a large bowl for the hamburger for the pie. Most people tended to make shepherd's pie with lamb but lean hamburger was best if dogs were added to the equation, that or boiled hamburger if the meat wasn't very lean. Then we added in some wheat flour and stirred it up. Then we added some frozen peas and chopped up carrots. Then we grabbed a pan big enough to hold everything and greased the inside so nothing would stick. We slipped the contents of the bowl into the pan and evened it out with a spoon. Then came the topping. Most people topped shepherd's pie with potatoes and since the dogs were in mind with this, sweet potatoes were a good alternative. So to make them the softness we needed, we had to boil them, which gave us the opportunity to get started on some watermelon treats.

Gran had come up with this little treat when I was teething as a baby. They were sweet, healthy and fantastic on sore baby's gums, to the point where I'd still make them and eat them to this day. A very simple recipe of pureeing watermelon, pouring it into the trays and freezing it for a couple hours. Usually this takes a good while, especially saying that this was Shinomiya-san's first time doing this and the most difficult part I tended to find was in the pouring. Even after doing it with Gran for years, I made messes all over the trays whenever I tried. Shinomiya-san didn't spill even a single drop, to my great surprise. And the fact he did it so quickly was even more surprising.

Once the watermelon was in the freezer, we split the work, Shinomiya-san was to get started on the chicken soup so we'd have it in time for dinner and I would finish off the pie. All that was needed was to mash the potatoes and spread them over the pie, then slip it into the oven where it would stay until everything was to temperature.

Meanwhile the chicken soup was easy enough to get started. We'd grabbed three whole chickens at the store so all three went into a slow-cooker with some water and was set on high. The very next step was to wash and peel our veggies. Since we had six dogs and six boys to feed, we had six carrots chopped up and added to each pot. Then for the dogs, we chopped up one big sweet potato into cubes and added it to the pot. Then we added two stalks of celery to each pot and a couple handfuls of chopped green beans. Then we added water and about half a spoonful of garlic and onion-free chicken base before setting it off to the side. Then for the chicken soup for the boys, we added a little bit of garlic salt to it all. We labeled both pots and set them in the fridge since they would need to be set on the stove at a low simmer for about an hour, meaning it would be best to do that when the chicken was nearing completion.

Once that was done, we checked the pie and I was extremely pleased to see it was ready to come out. Once we'd set the pie out, we cut it up and set it on plates to cool and then set the dogs' portions in their bowls since they hadn't been given breakfast that morning. Sora and Piyo-chan were whining at us as we gathered up their bowls and headed for the living room again. Once we stepped in, the other dogs were looking at us with interest. Stiff rose up to his back paws as we started setting the bowls down. Almost immediately, the canines were scarfing down the food.

I went back into the kitchen to set the table while Shinomiya-san went to get everyone for lunch. As I waited, I put the apron away and cleaned up the counters.

The first one to come in was Hiirikawa-san who gave me an odd look when he saw the island.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but that looks an awful lot like what the dogs are eating," he said cautiously.

"It is. It's the same thing." He gave me an incredulous look that I had been fully expecting. "It's shepherd's pie made with hamburger instead of lamb and sweet potatoes instead of regular. I just knew a couple recipes that were good for both people and dogs to eat and figured that since it's their first day in domestic life, they could be spoiled a little bit." The Captain gave the food another curious look then looked back at me.

"And it's safe for humans?"

"Perfectly. Literally just hamburger, a bit of flour, peas, carrots and sweet potato topping," I replied.

"Then what's in the slow-cooker?"

"Chicken for dinner tonight. It's going to be made into a soup."

"Is this another recipe you know that dogs can also eat?" the Captain asked, sitting down at the table.

"Yes. One of my Gran's renters owned a dog. They would often come by and let me play with her and answer any questions I had. They even gave me a recipe book that is safe for dogs and people to eat. They gave it to me because they figured I'd one day own a dog of my own."

"Who did what?" Jinguji-san asked as he came into the room. I turned to respond, only to find he was half naked! He wore a pair of black pants that hung low on his hips and a towel was around his neck. His hair was still wet. I felt my cheeks heat and I quickly looked away.

"Nanami-san was explaining how she knows what dogs should and shouldn't eat is because former renters of her grandmother's owned a dog. And is there a particular reason you're walking about half-nude?"

"I was in the shower when we were called. Should I be prancing around fully nude? The Little Lamb seems to like it so far." I could practically _feel_ his smirk.

"No I do not!" I yelled. "And in the future, I'd prefer it if you wore a shirt with your pants at meals!" I didn't dare look over my shoulder but I heard him chuckle for a moment before he made a muffled noise of surprise. I looked back over my shoulder to see the orange-haired Lieutenant Colonel with a shirt half-hanging on his face and Otoya standing in the doorway, looking rather pleased with himself.

"Something smells good," he said as he came in and hugged me. "Thank you for making lunch Haruka. What is it?"

"Shepherd's pie. I hope you guys like it," I said with a smile as he pulled back and headed for the table.

Lunch was quick and once the dishes were cleaned and put away, Shinomiya-san and I quickly checked on the half-frozen watermelon treats before he went to start practicing some viola and I decided to continue my work on my computer. I quickly ran to my room to get the charger and when I got back, Kurusu-kun was fiddling with the television with a basket of cases next to him.

"Uh...Kurusu-kun, what are you doing?" I asked as I plugged in my computer. He turned and looked at me before holding up a case. On the cover was Hyuuga-sensei in some odd-looking clothes with "Prince of Fighting" in big stone-like letters at the top.

"I figured maybe I'd turn on a couple episodes of Hyuuga-sensei's show. Unless you don't like it. In that case-"

"Um...what exactly is it about?" I asked quickly.

"Wait...you honestly don't know?" I shook my head.

"It would seem I'm a bit out of touch with the world." He beamed at me.

"That's fine. Wanna try watching it with me? If you don't like it after the first episode, I can just watch it somewhere else." I nodded and took a seat on the couch as he finished setting up the video and took a seat beside me.

The rest of the day was uneventful. Kurusu-kun and I were eventually joined by Shinomiya-san and Otoya, Shinomiya-san and I finished the soup in time for dinner and after dinner I went to my room.

I hadn't done too much that day but I still felt a small sense of accomplishment. I'd managed to get a little closer with Shinomiya-san and Kurusu-kun. It may have only been a small amount, but it was at least something.

I got changed and crawled into bed, excited for what the next day would bring.

* * *

 **Justie: Hey everyone! Oh man, I am so sorry it took so long for me to get this up! But school has been getting crazy and everything is going nuts.**

 **As for Syo's bad throwing hand being his left hand, this is just a guess. I watched the series and paid special attention to how the characters use their hands. Syo typically uses his right hand to do many of the things we see him do. Be it open his locker, gesture during songs, or even throw his hat at a coatrack. So my guess is that he's right-handed which would make sense.**

 **Only about one in every ten people are left-handed so it would make sense that most, if not all ,of the boys are right-handed.** **I also did this study with Ren, Otoya, Masato, Natsuki, and Tokiya.**

 **Ren throws darts with his right hand, meaning he uses his right eye as his dominant eye when targeting. Most people when using the right eye as their dominant eye are right-handed.**

 **Masato practices his writing at his table using his right hand, holds his chopsticks in his right hand and when we see him play the piano one-handedly with Haruka, he uses his right hand. So my conclusion is that he's right-handed.**

 **Otoya uses a guitar that has him use his left hand on the neck, but he strums with his right hand, just like I did when I played once upon a time. And since I am right-handed, I concluded Otoya was right-handed.**

 **Tokiya uses his right hand to hold up his head when he falls asleep in the show sitting up, in Haruka's mind during his songs, he uses his right hand to hold hers, and he even uses his right hand in most of the activities he and Haruka get involved in at the street fair. So my conclusion is that Tokiya is right-handed.**

 **Now I have nothing against left-handed people. In fact, as a girl who is right-handed, I wish I was left-handed so I could at least seem somewhat unique in the real world. I do not buy stupid superstitions of left-handed people or stereotypes about them. This is not me being right-handed favorable, this is statistics speaking. Now if we included, Ringo-sensei, Hyuuga-sensei, Shining, Raging, Quartet Night, Cecil and HEAVENS, we should, statistically, have 2 left-handed people in our cast.**

 **Moving on...This chapter, if you couldn't tell, was meant to be more relaxed for everyone. More of a laze-about day. But all the stuff involving cooking you can actually find on YouTube under the Gone to the Snow Dogs channel. I'd recommend subscribing to these people because their dogs and daily adventures are incredible! And please, if you have a dog and are thinking of making these foods for your dogs, it might be best to point out I am not an animal nutritionist, nor am I a vet or a vet in training.** **So be sure to ask your vet about any concerns you have before giving these foods to your dog.**

 **Now then...AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH! The new season is coming out today! Oh my gosh I'm so excited! Hope you all enjoyed, hope you all enjoy the new season and I'll be seeing ya next time!**


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